Former captain Dasun Shanaka has been left out of Sri Lanka’s T20I squad to face West Indies.
Shanaka’s removal from the side does not come as a surprise, given his poor record in white ball formats – his last 21 ODI innings, stretching back to January 2023, have brought him just one half-century and an average of 12.25. In T20Is also, he has turned out a consistent failure.
He had been removed as white-ball captain ahead of the Zimbabwe series but had retained a place in the playing XI – he was dropped for the third ODI following scores of 8 and 7 in the first two games.
Meanwhile, veteran batter Dinesh Chandimal has been recalled to the T20 side, following his stellar performance against New Zealand in recently concluded test series. Explosive batter Bhanuka Rajapaksha has also earned a recall, having played his T20I for Sri Lanka in January 2023, against India in Pune.
Allrounder Chamindu Wickramasinghe, who made his T20I debut against India in July this year, has also been retained.
In bowling front, fast bowlers Matheesha Pathirana and Nuwan Thusara have been picked, dismissing fitness concerns.
Sri Lanka will host the West Indies for white-ball bilaterals in October, with a three-match T20I and ODI series.
The T20I series between Sri Lanka and West Indies will begin from October 13. The second and third match of the series will take place on October 15 and 17, respectively. All the matches of the T20I series will take place in Dambulla.
Meanwhile, the ODI series will kick off on October 20. The second and third match of the series will be held on October 23 and October 26. All the 50-over matches will be played in Kandy.
