By Revatha S. Silva

WEST INDIES IN SRI LANKA 2021  - TOUR SCHEDULE

DATE	MATCH	VENUE
14-17 November	Warm-up match	Colombo
21-25 November	First Test	Galle
29 Nov. to 3 Dec.	Second Test	Galle

POSSIBLE NAMES IN THE SL TEST SQUAD FOR THE WEST INDIES:

Dimuth Karunaratne (Captain), Angelo Mathews, Lahiru Thirimanne, Suranga Lakmal, Oshada Fernando, Charith Asalanka, Pathum Nissanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Dushmantha Chameera, Ramesh Mendis, Praveen Jayawickrama, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lasith Embuldeniya, and Dilshan Madushanka

 

Dimuth Karunaratne is likely to return as Sri Lanka’s ODI Skipper in place of Dasun Shanaka  

Sri Lanka Test Captain Dimuth Karunaratne, who will lead the national team in the forthcoming two-match home Test series against West Indies in November-December, will likely be reappointed as Sri Lanka’s One-Day International (ODI) Captain, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) sources revealed yesterday (30).

This means that Dasun Shanaka, who was permanently appointed as the country’s short-format or white-ball Captain in June, for both ODI and Twenty20 International or T20I formats, will have to shed his duties in the 50-over format and will be leading Sri Lanka only in the T20Is.

After Kusal Perera

In September 2019, Shanaka was named Sri Lanka Captain for the first time for a three-match T20I series in Pakistan, which Sri Lanka won 3-0 creating many records.

In February 2021, Shanaka was again named as Sri Lanka T20I Captain, this time for their series in the West Indies. However, he missed the T20I leg of that tour, being unable to travel to the Caribbean islands due to a visa issue.

Then in June 2021, after Sri Lanka lost their bilateral white-ball series in England, new Captain Kusal Perera was removed to be replaced by Shanaka in both T20I and ODI formats.

Confirmed as white-ball Captain

Shanaka’s first assignment as the Captain of both T20Is and ODIs was the home series against India in July. Despite they lost the ODI leg of the series 2-1, Sri Lanka won the T20Is 2-1 under Shanaka creating a marked revival in national cricket after a long while.

In September, Sri Lanka played a white-ball series against South Africa too at home where Shanaka led Sri Lanka to a 2-1 win in the ODIs; their first series win over South Africa after eight years.

Later the same month, Shanaka was named as Sri Lanka Captain for the 2021 T20 World Cup in UAE and Oman.

ODI captaincy record

Shanaka has led the country in six ODIs winning three and losing three whilst leading the team in 10 T20Is since 2019, winning six and losing four of them.

Meanwhile Karunaratne has led Sri Lanka in the ODIs since 2019 in 16 matches, winning 10 and losing four. He has been Sri Lanka’s 17th Test Captain, holding the red-ball leadership role since February 2019.

Clear sign of under-par performance

Removing Shanaka from the ODI leadership responsibility can be considered a clear indication of his lack of conviction as the national Captain in the big league.

There was obvious accusation from many quarters since July that all-rounder Shanaka was far from giving his due contribution to the side with bat and ball, prompting many to call him a liability for Captaincy and might have found it even difficult to cement his place in the Sri Lanka playing eleven had he not been the Captain.

Many veterans return

Karunaratne, 33, last led Sri Lanka in Tests in their April home series against Bangladesh and in the ODIs, in the away series against West Indies in March.

With the scheduled November-December West Indies Tests, Karunaratne returns to international arena after April.

Angelo Mathews, Lahiru Thirimanne, Suranga Lakmal, and Lasith Embuldeniya too are likely to be named in the Sri Lanka squad for the West Indies Test series starting on 21 November in Galle (see the inset schedule).

The likely Sri Lanka squad for the West Indies Test series:

A product of Hungama Vijayabahu Central in Hambantota Dilshan Madushanka, 21, will most probably be included in the Sri Lanka Test squad for the West Indies.

Meanwhile Wanindu Hasaranga, though being a white-ball specialist, is too likely to be named in the Test squad as the matches are played in his home ground in Galle.

The three players -- Kusal Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella, and Danushka Gunathilaka -- who were banned on disciplinary grounds in July after breaching the bio-security bubble in England, are still not considered for selection as they are not playing in the ongoing domestic one-day tournament, the Major League 50-over Tournament. That is allegedly for failing to yet pay their fine of Rs. 10 million to SLC.