Sports
Chameera ruled out of New Zealand limited-overs leg
Sri Lanka’s pace spearhead Dushmantha Chameera will be unavailable for the white-ball leg of the ongoing tour of New Zealand. The 31-year-old, who had recently undergone ankle surgery, was initially added in the squad by the selectors with the hope of him completing rehabilitation in time for the tour.
However, the latest update is that Chameera’s progress hasn’t been upto satisfactory levels and it means that he’ll be unable to make the trip. Rookie pacer Matheesha Pathirana will be the replacement for the ODIs while Pramod Madushan is the last-minute addition to the T20I squad.
With the preparations for the 50-over World Cup gathering steam, Sri Lanka have included Angelo Mathews in the ODI squad, with the veteran having last played 50-over international cricket in March 2021.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa, hero of Sri Lanka’s victorious Asia Cup campaign last year, is the notable exclusion from the T20I squad while Kusal Perera makes a return to the T20 setup after a considerable absence due to various reasons including a shoulder injury. Sri Lanka have also included uncapped all-rounder Lasith Croospulle in the T20I squad.
The ODI series starts on March 25 while the T20Is begin from April 2.