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Tuesday, 19 February 2019 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Akila Dananjaya
By Madushka Balasuriya
Akila Dananjaya has been cleared to bowl in international cricket, Sri Lanka Cricket has confirmed, after announcing him in their latest one-day squad. The 25 year-old off-spinner’s inclusion is among eight changes to the squad, though half of those are injury-enforced.
“The ICC (International Cricket Council) notified us this evening that Akila has been cleared to bowl,” SLC CEO Ashley De Silva confirmed to Daily FT.
Dananjaya has been one of Sri Lanka’s main threats in limited overs cricket in recent times, taking 28 ODI wickets at an average of 23 in 2018, and a further 27 wickets at 24.25 in Tests. His return will be a major boost for Sri Lanka ahead of what promises to be testing ODI and T20I series against South Africa next month, especially considering the long-list of injuries on the bowling front.
The seam trio of Lahiru Kumara, Nuwan Pradeep, and Dushmantha Chameera have all been ruled out due to injury, while Angelo Mathews is also missing. As such, Captain Lasith Malinga will lead an extremely inexperienced pace contingent; the 27 year-old Vishwa Fernando, fresh off his eight-wicket haul in the first Test, has all of six ODI caps behind him, Kasun Rajitha has three, while the returning Isuru Udana played the last of his two ODIs in July 2012 - though he did play T20 cricket last year.
On the batting front, Sri Lanka looks like they may opt for a blend of youth and experience at the top of the order, as can be gleaned by recalls for Upul Tharanga and Avishka Fernando - although Niroshan Dickwella, Kusal Janith Perera, and Kusal Mendis have all played there in the past.
The 34 year-old Tharanga missed Sri Lanka’s tour of New Zealand after a poor home tour against England, but has been in relatively good nick in the shortest format of the game, scoring a couple of brisk knocks for NCC domestically, as well as for the Dhaka Dynamites in the Bangladesh Premier League, over the past month.
Avishka Fernando’s inclusion meanwhile can be attributed to the sheer destructiveness of his recent form. Sri Lanka’s haphazard selection policy meant that, having made his international debut in 2016 at the age of 18 against Australia, he had not been selected since. However, in his last 10 matches across List A, First-Class and T20 cricket domestically, the 20-year-old’s form has been hard to ignore.
Five consecutive 50-plus totals against Ireland A, three of which were centuries, saw him end that home tour with an average of 104.6. He followed that up with a double century and another two fifties for Colts in two first-class games, before smashing 63 and 52 in two of his next three T20 matches.
Other new faces include Oshada Fernando and Angelo Perera, two more players coming on the back of impressive displays with the bat domestically, Perera in particular having recently made history by becoming just the second man to score two double centuries in a single first-class match. Rounding out the squad is leg-spinner Lakshan Sandakan, the ambidextrous former Under-19 captain Kamindu Mendis, and the 23 year-old Priyamal Perera, who bowls occasional off-spin and has two double centuries to his name in his last 10 matches.
Sri Lanka faces South Africa in the first of five ODIs on Sunday 3 March in Johannesburg.
Full Squad: Lasith Malinga (Captain), Avishka Fernando, Upul Tharanga, Niroshan Dickwella (V. Captain), Kusal Janith Perera, Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya De Silva, Thisara Perera, Akila Dananjaya, Angelo Perera, Oshada Fernando, Kamindu Mendis, Priyamal Perera, Isuru Udana, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lakshan Sandakan
Ins: Avishka Fernando, Upul Tharanga, Akila Dananjaya, Angelo Perera, Oshada Fernando, Kamindu Mendis, Priyamal Perera, Isuru Udana, Vishwa Fernando
Outs: Angelo Mathews, Danushka Gunathilaka, Dinesh Chandimal, Asela Gunaratne, Dasun Shanaka, Seekkuge Prasanna, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Pradeep, Lahiru Kumara
