Kusal Perera captains refreshed Sri Lanka squad for Bangladesh ODIs

By Amindha de Alwis

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has appointed wicket-keeper batsman Kusal Perera as captain for the forthcoming three-match ODI series versus Bangladesh. 

Perera, who has 101 One Day International caps to his name, will become Sri Lanka’s 24th skipper in the format and will have Kusal Mendis serving as his deputy. 

Perera takes over the reigns from Dimuth Karunaratne who has been left out of the squad alongside several other senior players as the selectors look towards the next Cricket World Cup which is to be held in India in 2023.
Karunaratne captained Sri Lanka in 17 games, recording ten wins during that period, but his batting strike rate of 75 meant that questions persisted over his suitability to open the innings in modern-day cricket. 

Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Suranga Lakmal and Nuwan Pradeep are the other prominent names absent from the 18-man squad along with Thisara Perera who recently announced his retirement from international cricket. 

While Mathews the T20 batsman cannot claim to have made many significant contributions in recent years, his ODI average of 41 ensured that he was a sure-starter in the past and his axing is very much a bold move from the selectors. 

Promising top-order batsman Avishka Fernando too has not been included in the touring party as a result of failing to meet fitness standards. 

Among those named in the youthful squad are off-spinning all-rounder Ramesh Mendis and fast bowlers Chamika Karunaratne, Binura Fernando and Shiran Fernando - all of whom are uncapped at ODI cricket. 
The team will depart for Bangladesh on May 16 with the first ODI to be played in Mirpur on May 23.