Sri Lanka Cricket announce Test squad for Windies tour

The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has announced the 17-member squad for their upcoming international assignment. While the majority of the international stars are busy playing the IPL, the Sri Lankan cricketers are gearing up for their Test series in the Caribbean. Sri Lanka is scheduled to play three Tests during the tour. The first Test match will commence on June 6, 2018.

The venue for the match will be the iconic Queen’s Parkk Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad. The SLC selectors have tried to put forth their best combinations for the series. Hard hitting left handed batsman Mahela Udawatte has received his maiden call up in the national side. It is worth noting that Udawatte is compared to Sanath Jayasuriya in the domestic circuit.

Also, the selectors have included Kusal Perera in the list. Kusal is one of the senior members of the team. However, he has not played a Test match since his previous appearance in the Sri Lankan whites in December 2016 against South Africa. Meanwhile, one key player in Dimuth Karunaratne has been left out of the squad owing to the injury concerns.

New faces like Kasun Rajitha and Asitha Fernando have also got their call ups in the side. On the other hand, the likes of Danushka Gunathilaka and Lakshan Sandakan have been dropped from the side. Angelo Mathews and Suraga Lakmal have also been named in the squad. However, their participation remains under the dark clouds as they are nursing respective injuries.

Commenting on the current form, both Sri Lanka and Windies have been suffering in the longest format owing to their transition phase. The visitors, however, will be the favorites in the series after their recent success in the UAE against Pakistan in the Test series.

Sri Lanka squad for the Windies tour:

Dinesh Chandimal, Mahela Udawatte, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Janith Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva, Roshen Silva, Angelo Mathews (Subject to fitness), Niroshan Dickwella, Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera, Akila Dananjaya, Jeffrey Vandersay, Lahiru Gamage, Kasun Rajitha, Suranga Lakmal (Subject to fitness), Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando

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