Following an impressive U-19 tour of England, uncapped Avishka Fernando has been named in Sri Lanka’s squad for the first two ODIs against Australia. The 16-member contingent also features another newcomer in the form of Amila Aponso.
Skipper Angelo Mathews will be relieved to avail the services of the experienced Tillakaratne Dilshan who made a comeback after missing the ODI series in England due to personal reasons.
The hard-hitting Thisara Perera gets a recall alongside fellow all-rounder Milinda Siriwardana. Among those who played in Sri Lanka’s previous assignment, Dasun Shanaka was surprisingly left out.
Farveez Maharoof paid the price for an indifferent showing while the likes of Suraj Randiv and Chaminda Bandara were also excluded from the squad which had lost the five-match series 0-3.
A promising top-order dasher, Avishka Fernando had smashed successive centuries against England U-19s in Chelmsford and Canterbury to convince the selectors of his potential.
On the other hand, Amila Aponso is a left-arm spinner who has played 20 List A matches and picked up 28 wickets at an average of 19.60. With the squad containing plenty of spin bowling options, he might have to wait before getting a look-in.
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With the Australian batsmen struggling against the turning ball, the hosts have understandably preferred to play to their strengths by picking only three seam bowlers which indicates that the pitches could be skewed towards spinners.
As pacers Lasith Malinga and Dushmantha Chameera have not recovered sufficiently to be available for selection, the onus is on their slow bowlers to continue Sri Lanka’s momentum from the recently completed Test series.
Although the Aussies have had a recurring issue with spin bowling in Tests, their ODI side is still ranked number one and possess several game-changers which should set the stage for a riveting tussle.
FulI Squad: Angelo Mathews (c), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Danushka Gunathilaka, Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Milinda Siriwardana, Seekkuge Prasanna, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Thisara Perera, Dilruwan Perera, Lakshan Sandakan, Avishka Fernando, Amila Aponso
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