- Charith and Chamari made skippers of men’s and women’s ODIs
Seven Sri Lankan cricketers including women’s skipper Chamari Athapaththu have found their way into squads in all three formats of the game, chosen for 2024 by leading cricketing website ESPN Cricinfo.
The much-sought-after website for print media outlets and news agencies the world over, has categorised squads for men’s and women’s Test, men’s and women’s ODI and T20Is, following in-depth analysis of player performances for the concluded year by its writers and pundits.
A noteworthy aspect of the selections, has been four Sri Lankan Men’s Players being included in the year’s One-Day International squad, with National Captain Charith Asalanka being handed the reins.
The rest of the Lankans who have joined Asalanka in the ODI squad, are opening batter Pathum Nissanka, one-drop batter cum wicket-keeper Kusal Mendis and highly-rated leg spinner Wanindu Hasaranga.
The squad also features three from Afghanistan and a player each from England, West Indies, Pakistan, and Bangladesh respectively.
Right-hander Pathum Nissanka who is fast emerging as one of his country’s most prolific batter’s across all formats, scored 694 runs in One-Day Internationals with an average of 63.0 in 2024.
Meanwhile, Kusal Mendis also justified his place in the team after underperforming for years by making 742 runs for an average of 53.0.
Skipper Charith Asalanka who was installed as Sri Lanka’s long-term white-ball captain during the previous year, notched up 605 runs for an average of 60.4, thus gaining selection by the Cricinfo analysts.
In the meantime, ace India pacer Jasprit Bumrah who is also the only cricketer to be featured in both Men’s Test and ODI teams, has been named as the Captain of the Cricinfo Men’s Test Squad, which also includes Lanka’s record-breaking batter of 2024, Kamindu Mendis.
Mendis whose stock has been rising since breaking into the red-ball format, scored 1049 runs in the calendar year for 2024, at an average of 74.9 and the prolific southpaw’s inclusion in the men’s Test squad, comes as no shock to cricket followers, in this neck of the woods.
The Cricinfo 2024 Men’s Test Squad also features four players from England, three each from India and New Zealand, while both Australia and South Africa are notable absentees.
However, both countries have players being included in the T20I squad of the year, which is led by Rashid Khan of Afghanistan and Sri Lanka’s sole representation is by outstanding pacer Matheesha Pathirana, who claimed 69 wickets in the game’s shortest format in the concluded year.
The popular website has also not included any Sri Lankan Women’s players in its T20I Squad, while its National Captain Chamari Athapaththu has been installed as the skipper of the women’s ODI squad for 2024.
Athapaththu racked up 458 runs in One-Day Internationals in the previous calendar year for an average of 65.4.
Of all the seven Lankans featured in the ESPN Cricinfo teams of 2024, the six from the men’s teams are currently engaged in the white-ball tour of New Zealand, with the sole exception being Women’s Captain Chamari Athapaththu.
(JK)