COLOMBO: (ePRESS) – Sri Lanka has recalled seasoned top-order batsman Kusal Janith Perera to their 17-member One-Day International squad for the upcoming home series against New Zealand. The 34-year-old former captain last played an ODI in the 2022 World Cup in Bengaluru, where he impressed with a blistering 22-ball half-century against the Kiwis.
While Perera hasn’t featured in an ODI since, he kept active in T20Is, tallying 204 runs at a strike rate of 144 in his last six matches, including series against India and the West Indies. With 116 ODIs under his belt, Perera has amassed 3,237 runs at an average of 30 and a strike rate of 92, marked by six centuries and 17 half-centuries.
Sri Lanka’s T20 team remains unchanged, with Charith Asalanka retaining the captaincy across both formats. In ODI head-to-head matchups, New Zealand leads Sri Lanka 52-41, but the record shifts in Sri Lanka’s favor at home, where they lead 17-6. For T20Is, however, New Zealand leads 4-2 on Sri Lankan soil and 13-7 overall.
Sri Lanka Twenty20 Squad:
1 Charith Asalanka (captain), 2 Pathum Nissanka, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Kusal 5 Janith Perera, 5 Kamindu Mendis, 6 Dinesh Chandimal, 7 Avishka Fernando, 8 Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 9 Wanindu Hasaranga, 10 Maheesh Theekshana, 11 Dunith Wellalage, 12 Jeffrey Vandersay, 13 Chamidu Wickramasinghe, 14 Nuwan Thushara, 15 Matheesha Pathirana, 16 Binura Fernando, 17 Asitha Fernando.
Sri Lanka ODI Squad:
1 Charith Asalanka (captain), 2 Avishka Fernando, 3 Pathum Nissanka, 4 Kusal Janith Perera, 5 Kusal Perera, 6 Kamindu Mendis, 7 Janith Liyanage, 8 Sadeera Samarawickrama, 9 Nishan Madushka, 10 Dunith Wellagalage, 11 Wanindu Hasaranga, 12 Maheesh Theekshana, 13, Jeffrey Vandersay, 14 Chamidu Wickramasinghe, 15 Dilshan Madushanka, 16 Asitha Fernando, 17 Mohamed Shiraz.
