Sri Lanka to wait for Angelo Mathews' status before announcing squad for Nidahas Trophy

Following the culmination of the South Africa tour, the Indian team will get busy for their upcoming challenge in the subcontinent. The Men in Blue, led by Rohit Sharma will feature in the Nidahas Trophy in Sri Lanka. With less than 2 weeks to go for the tournament, the squad for the same was also announced yesterday.

While the Indian management has unveiled their squad for the T20 tri-series, hosts Sri Lanka and neighbor Bangladesh are yet to announce their teams. And in a recent development, it has been known that the Sri Lankan team-management will wait for the final status of their injured skipper Angelo Mathews before announcing the squad.

What comes as a silver lining, Kusal Perera, Dushmantha Chameera and Nuwan Pradeep have all returned after recovering from their respective injuries but Mathews’ situation is still unknown. The fitness of the four players will be assessed on Tuesday.

The trio will also feature in the country’s domestic T20 tournament, playing for their respective clubs, a move that has been appreciated by the selectors. All the four players sustained injuries during the recently concluded tour of Bangladesh and weren’t available for the two-match T20I series.

Sri Lanka to miss the services of Gunaratne and Madushanka

A pressing concern still remains over Sri Lanka’s injury woes prior to the tri-nation series. The Islanders dealt a major blow to their preparations as all-rounder Asela Gunaratne and fast bowler Shehan Madushanka has been ruled out of the Nidahas Trophy starting in a fortnight’s time.

Gunaratne, who traveled to Bangladesh for the T20I series returned home without featuring in a single game. He hurt his right shoulder during fielding drills. Madushanka, on the other hand, hurts his left hamstring while bowling during the second T20I in Sylhet and had to be helped off the field. The 25-year-old seaming all-rounder is speculated to be out for a considerable time.