Sri Lanka did not select Chamindu Wickramasinghe, the seam-bowling all-rounder, for the upcoming ODI series against Australia at home.
This exclusion is the only change in the Sri Lankan squad from the team that visited New Zealand recently. One thing to note here is that Sri Lanka sent a 17-man squad to New Zealand, while they’ve selected only 16 players for the upcoming two-match ODI series against Australia. Wickramasinghe was left out of the team to reduce the number of personnel.
Well, it is understandable that conditions at home are more suitable for spin bowlers than pacers. They will play the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 on similar tracks. That is why the think tank of Sri Lanka might have opted to go for a spin-heavy squad for this series. They even selected the more spin all-rounders.
Dunith Wellalage has been a key player for Sri Lanka in spin-friendly conditions as he can effectively utilize his bat and bowl ability.
The rest of the squad is completely the same as it was for the New Zealand tour. They will continue to back Asitha Fernando and Lahiru Kumara as the leading pacers of the country. They also have Mohamed Shiraz and Eshan Malinga as backup options.
The spin department of the Sri Lankan team has three frontline bowlers including Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, and Jeffrey Vandersay. Apart from these three, Wellalage and the skipper Charith Asalanka are the alternatives to spin bowling.
Sri Lanka will host Australia on February 12 and 14 respectively for the first and second ODIs in Colombo. Both matches will be played in the same venue. The games will start at 10 am local time.
Here is the complete squad of Sri Lanka for the Australia ODI series.
Squad: Charith Asalanka(c), Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Nuwanidu Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Janith Liyanage, Dunith Wellalage, Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando, Mohamed Shiraz, Eshan Malinga, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Lahiru Kumara.