Kusal Mendis will lead the national team in the 50-over format while Dasun Shanaka, who missed much of the 2023 World Cup owing to a thigh ailment, returns to the ODI setup. For the three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe, the Sri Lankan Cricket Board has named a 17-man team, with Mendis as his deputy and Charith Asalanka as his backup.
Wanindu Hasaranga is a member of the ODI squad although his participation is contingent upon his fitness. He was recently selected as the T20I captain of Sri Lanka. The legspinner’s hamstring issue kept him out of the World Cup. The team also welcomes back spinner Akila Dananjaya, who last competed for Sri Lanka in 2021.
Kusal Mendis (captain), Charith Asalanka (vocabulary), Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Sahan Arachchige, Nuwanidu Fernando, Dasun Shanaka, Janith Liyanage, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushmantha Chameera, Dunith Wellalage, Pramod Madushan, Jeffrey Vandersay, Akila Dananjaya, and Wanindu Hasaranga for Sri Lanka’s ODI team (depending on fitness).
In addition to Allrounder Janith Liyanage, who participated in three Twenty20 Internationals for Sri Lanka in 2022, the squad also includes Allrounders Sahan Arachchige (last appearance July 2023) and Nuwanidu Fernando (last appearance March 2023). Avishka Fernando, who tested positive for COVID-19 before the Asia Cup and consequently missed both the competition and the World Cup, is also back in the lineup.
Seven World Cup players—Mendis, Asalanka, Pathum Nissanka, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushmantha Chameera, and Dunith Wellalage—were selected for the Zimbabwe ODI team. Kusal Perera, Angelo Mathews, Kasun Rajitha, Dimuth Karunaratne, Dushan Hemantha, and Lahiru Kumara are the ones who are missing.
January 6, 8, and 11 will see the three One-Day Internationals versus Zimbabwe. Three Twenty20 Internationals are scheduled for January 14, 16, and 18. All games will be held in Colombo’s R Premadasa stadium.