SL women – Vishmi Gunaratne, Imesha Dulani, Sachini Nisansala in Sri Lanka’s 17 for ODI World Cup qualifier
Team will be hoping that experience holds them in good stead since they haven’t competed since the T20 WC
Sri Lanka have named three new faces in their 17-strong squad, including the 16-year-old Vishmi Gunaratne, for next month’s Women’s ODI World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe. The team will be captained by Chamari Athapaththu, who is currently in Australia for the WBBL.
Gunaratne, a fast bowler who also opens the batting, has been named alongside the 21-year-old batter Imesha Dulani and 19-year-old left-arm wrist spinner Sachini Nisansala. The trio is understood to have impressed during the residential training camp held last month, in which the players focused on skills and fitness training and took part in five intra-squad one-dayers.
The rest of the squad holds no surprises though, with a host of experienced campaigners included; in fact, aside from the aforementioned trio, only four other players are below the age of 30. Sri Lanka will be hoping that experience holds them in good stead, as they haven’t competed internationally since the T20 World Cup in February-March 2020. The only notable name missing from that last outing is the now-retired former skipper Shashikala Siriwardene.
There have also been five standby players named as injury cover, however, they will not be in the same training bubble as the 17-member squad and will train separately.
The qualifier will begin on November 21.
Squad: Chamari Atapattu (captain) Harshitha Madavi (vice-captain), Inoka Ranaweera, Nilakshi de Silva, Hasini Perera, Sugandika Kumari, Oshadi Ranasinghe, Ama Kanchana, Udeshika Prabodhani, Achini Kulasuriya, Anushka Sanjeewani, Kavisha Dilhari, Tharika Sewwandi, Prasadani Weerakkody, Imesha Dulani, Vishmi Gunaratne, Sachini Nisansala
Standby players: Umesha Thimashini, Kawya Kavindi, Madushika Meththananda, Sathya Sandeepani, Lihini Apsara
