Upul Tharanga to captain Sri Lanka in Zimbabwe tri-series

by Cricbuzz Staff • Published on

The selectors made Tharanga incharge due to the absence of regular captain Angelo Mathews and vice-captain Dinesh Chandimal. © Cricbuzz

Upul Tharanga has been named stand-in skipper for the upcoming One-Day International (ODI) tri-series, featuring Zimbabwe and West Indies, the national selectors announced on Saturday (November 5). The seven-match tournament is scheduled to begin on November 14.

The decision was taken due to the absence of regular captain Angelo Mathews and vice-captain Dinesh Chandimal. Kusal Janith Perera has now been appointed Tharanga's deputy in the 15-man squad.

While Mathews pulled out of the tour after MRI scans revealed multiple leg injuries, Chandimal was hopeful of playing the ODI-leg of the Zimbabwe tour after undergoing a surgery for a thumb injury. There were reports of him regaining full fitness but it has now been confirmed that he will not be part of the limited-overs team.

Asela Gunaratne and Lahiru Kumara - who made their debut in the first Test - have earned a maiden call-up for the ODI squad, while Shehan Jayasuriya, Nuwan Kulasekara and Jeffrey Vandersay have been recalled.

Sri Lanka squad: Dhananjaya De Silva, Kusal Janith Perera (w & v/c), Niroshan Dickwella, Upul Tharanga (c), Kusal Mendis, Shehan Jayasuriya, Asela Gunaratne, Sachith Pathirana, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dasun Shanaka, Nuwan Pradeep, Lahiru Kumara, Suranga Lakmal, Lakshan Sandakan, Jeffrey Vandersay

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