Pacemen Chameera, Kumara named for T20 World Cup

• Two changes made to Asia Cup winning squad 

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Fast bowlers Dushmantha Chameera and Lahiru Kumara who are both recovering from injuries have been named in the 15-man Sri Lanka squad for next month’s ICC T20 World Cup in Australia subject to their being fit.

Chameera is recovering from a strained left calf muscle which he sustained while batting in the nets ahead of the Asia Cup and Kumara from a long-standing hamstring injury. Chameera is also due to under surgery after the T20 World Cup for a chronic left ankle that has troubled him constantly. Both batsmen have the ability to bowl at 140 plus and it was only injuries that has kept them from being selected.

By naming these two speedsters for the World Cup there is no place for pacies Asitha Fernando and Matheesha Pathirana who were part of the squad that won the Asia Cup six days ago in the UAE. 

Sri Lanka have however retained the services of two other rookie fast bowlers Dilshan Madushanka and Promod Madushan both of whom made quite an impact in Sri Lanka winning the Asia Cup.  

The rest of the squad remains the same with Kusal Mendis and Bhanuka Rajapaksa named as the two wicketkeeper/batsmen.

Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup preparations begin on 25 September when the squad travels to Kandy to begin their camp before leaving for Australia on 2 October.

“What is important is our mental strength and skill. At the moment the mental strength of the players is very good, our skill level is quite high and our fitness levels are also really good. The only thing they have to adjust to is the conditions in Australia,” said Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka. 

“The camp in Kandy will help our players to getting used to conditions that are similar to those in Australia and give them a better idea of how to bat and bowl. We also had a tour of Australia earlier this year, which would have given the players a better idea on how to play in those conditions.”

After having started the Asia Cup as no-hopers, Sri Lanka went onto win the title for the sixth time defeating in their stride T20 specialists like India and Pakistan reeling off five consecutive victories following their shock defeat at the hands of Afghanistan. This outstanding performance has made Sri Lanka a force to be reckoned with in the upcoming T20 World Cup.

“Initially our plan was to enter the second round and play well in the tournament we never thought we lose the way we did to Afghanistan because we are not such a bad side,” said Shanaka. “We played a tournament in Sri Lanka and we were well prepared mentally for the Asia Cup. We didn’t do anything special because we knew the talent we had in the side.”

“When we lost the first match we didn’t panic. Once we won a match, we knew that we can continue that momentum. That belief is there in the team. As a team we were very much relaxed and as a captain I don’t like to place limits and pressures on the players because you cannot get the best out of them in the middle. The main reason for us winning the Asia Cup was that the players were relaxed both on and off the field.”

“We have a team with an average of 24-25 years. Players like Pathum Nissanka, Charith Aslanka, Wanindu Hasaranga, they are all young cricketers still 23-24 years of age. A player’s best years are between the ages of 28 and 34. For them to come to that age they have another five years or so. “Similarly, Dilshan Madushan is only 21 and Maheesh Theekshana is 22, if they continue perform properly our cricket for the next 10 years looks secure.”

Sri Lanka’s current ranking at eight means that they have to go through a qualification round to get into the T20 World Cup Super12 against countries like Namibia (16 October), UAE (18 October) and Netherlands (20 October).

SRI LANKA T20 WORLD CUP SQUAD

Dasun Shanaka (Captain), Danushka Gunathilaka, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk/bat), Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa (wk/bat), Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera (subject to fitness), Lahiru Kumara (subject to fitness), Dilshan Madushanka, Promod Madushan.

Standby Players: Ashen Bandara, Praveen Jayawickrama, Dinesh Chandimal, Binura Fernando, Nuwanidu Fernando. Ashen Bandara and Praveen Jayawickrama will travel with the team.