Wanindu Hasaranga
Wanindu Hasaranga Credits: Twitter

Sri Lankan all-rounder, Wanindu Hasaranga, who had been out since injuring himself during the Lanka Premier League in August, is now set to make his long-awaited return. He will lead the team in T20 format of the game, with Charith Asalanka serving as his deputy.

Sri Lanka Cricket has made significant changes to prepare for its upcoming white-ball series against Zimbabwe. The highly anticipated series will consist of three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and three T20 Internationals (T20Is), starting with the ODI phase on January 6.

Sri Lanka is eager to rebuild and prepare for the forthcoming T20 World Cup in 2024, following a disappointing departure from the ODI World Cup 2023, where they finished ninth in the points table. The cricket board has announced not only the preliminary squads for the series but also a new T20I captain, signalling a new beginning for the team in the white-ball format of the game.

In a statement released by Sri Lanka Cricket, The Cricket Board has announced the preliminary squads for the Zimbabwe tour, with Kusal Mendis and Wanindu Hasaranga taking up the leadership role in the white-ball format of the game.

“Sri Lanka Cricket announced the preliminary squads for the Zimbabwe Tour of Sri Lanka 2024. ODIs Captain: Kusal Mendis Vice Captain: Charith Asalanka T20Is Captain: Wanindu Hasaranga Vice Captain: Charith Asalanka.”

“Sri Lanka Cricket wishes to announce the following preliminary squads selected by the Sri Lanka Cricket Selection Committee, focusing on the Zimbabwe Tour of Sri Lanka. The final squads for both the ODI and T20I squads will be selected out of the below-given preliminary squads,” Sri Lanka Cricket said in a statement.

In One-Day Internationals, Kusal Mendis will captain the team, with Asalanka serving as vice-captain. All six matches of the series will take place at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The preliminary squad list will be used to determine the final squads for both ODIs and T20Is.

Preliminary ODI squad: Kusal Mendis (c), Charith Asalanka (vc), Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Sahan Arachchige, Nuwanidu Fernando, Dasun Shanaka, Kamindu Mendis, Chamika Karunaratne, Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushmantha Chameera, Dunith Wellalage, Pramod Madushan, Asitha Fernando, Akila Dananjaya, Jeffrey Vandersay, Chamika Gunasekera.

Preliminary T20I squad: Wanindu Hasaranga (c), Charith Asalanka (vc), Pathum Nissanaka, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dasun Shanaka, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Kusal Janith Perera, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Kamindu Mendis, Dunith Wellalage, Akila Dananjaya, Jeffrey Vandersay, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka, Binura Fernando, Nuwan Thushara, Pramod Madushan, Matheesha Pathirana.