Kusal Mendis left out for second Test

Five players released from team bio-bubble

By Bipin Dani  

Sri Lanka team management has decided to release five players including regular captain Dimuth Karunaratne and under-performing batsman Kusal Mendis from the present squad of 22 players, ahead of the second Test against England. 

 
Following a discussion last morning, the team management decided to also release Minod Bhanuka, Lahiru Kumara and Nuwan Pradeep.   

Sri Lanka is scheduled to play the second Test against England at the same venue starting on Friday.    It was left to Head Coach Mickey Arthur to convey the news to the outgoing players, it is learnt.  

The meeting was also attended by stand-in captain Dinesh Chandimal and Karunaratne.  

The three national selectors Ashantha de Mel, Pramodya Wickramasinghe and Chaminda Mendis also discussed the composition of the team for the West Indies tour.  The other four selectors on the panel, who did not attend the meeting, are for junior and women’s cricket.   

The final selection for the Windies tour is likely to be made two weeks prior to the team departure.   

However, the selectors are believed to have shortlisted 34 players for training and visa purposes. The team will have a new manager on the Windies tour.   
De Mel has decided to skip this tour for personal reasons but will be available for team selection from Sri Lanka.