Sri Lankan cricket rarely goes a season without a stir over squad choices, and the first five months under the freshly appointed selection panel have proven no exception. From bringing back Niroshan Dickwella for Tests, to first dropping and then reinstating Charith Asalanka as deputy leader of the T20 unit, followed by a spell as acting captain, the panel has kept fans guessing. Add in Dasun Shanaka’s comeback to ODIs after a two year absence, plus the omission of in form Lanka Premier League stars Chamindu Wickramasinghe and Chamika Karunaratne, and questions were bound to follow.
Chief selector Kapila Wijegunawardene addressed the speculation directly. On Asalanka’s promotion above Kamindu Mendis, he pointed to a standout LPL campaign: 385 runs across 11 innings at a strike rate above 153, capped by a man of the match display with the ball in the tournament decider. Combined with his experience leading sides, this made him the logical choice, freeing Kamindu to concentrate purely on his batting.
Regarding personnel left out despite strong domestic form, Wijegunawardene stressed that limited squad slots, not disciplinary concerns, drove those calls, and reiterated that selection rests solely on cricketing merit.
On the somewhat unexpected decision to carry four spin bowlers to England, the panel cited forecasts of an unusually warm summer likely to produce drier, more worn surfaces that could assist slower bowlers, even on pitches traditionally suited to seam and bounce.
Sri Lanka’s constant search for a genuine fast bowling all rounder, meanwhile, continues, with an eye firmly on next year’s World Cup in South Africa.
