Kusal Perera has been appointed as the captain of the Sri Lanka team for the Bangladesh ODIs as Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal were overlooked.
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Sri Lanka has endured a torrid time in ODIs for the last three years. They have lost 16 and won just six bilateral series matches. In the recent series against West Indies, they were whitewashed 3-0. In the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, they were knocked out in the first round itself after suffering losses to Australia, South Africa and India. With Dimuth Karunaratne not working out as the full-time captain after the debacle of the West Indies series, Sri Lanka have appointed Kusal Perera as the new captain of the ODI series.
Karunaratne had taken over the ODI captaincy just before the 2019 World Cup where he led Sri Lanka to a sixth-place finish. He did win a couple of home series against Bangladesh and West Indies, but was blanked 2-0 and 3-0 in Pakistan and West Indies respectively. In addition to Karunaratne, Sri Lanka have also left out Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne for the series.
Before the start of the series, Sri Lanka cricketers Dhananjaya Lakshan and Ishan Jayaratne have tested positive for COVID-19. Lakshan and Jayaratne, who have returned positive results for the virus, are part of the provisional 28-man squad for England. Both pace bowling all-rounders are now in isolation for 14 days. However, since they are not part of the 18-man squad that leaves for Bangladesh on May 16, it gives them a chance to recover in time for the England series.
Chamika Karunaratne and Shiran Fernando are the two new faces in the Sri Lanka side. Isuru Udana and Dhananjaya de Silva are both back in the team after missing the series against West Indies. Sri Lanka will depart for Bangladesh on May 16 and the side will undergo a three-day hard quarantine period. The ODIs will begin on May 23. All the matches will be held at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium in Mirpur.
During Bangladesh’s recent tour of Sri Lanka, they lost the Test series 1-0. The series was part of the ICC World Test Championship cycle. After a high-scoring draw in Pallekele, Sri Lanka’s Praveen Jayawickrama took 11 wickets on debut to seal a 209-run win.
