Uncapped legspinner Rashmi Silva has been named in Sri Lanka’s 15-member squad for the Commonwealth Games which is scheduled to start later this month. Silva made her ODI debut in the home series against India earlier this month and is uncapped in T20Is, which is the format for the competition to be held in Birmingham.
Wicketkeeper-batter Kaushani Nuthyangana, Hansima Karunaratne, left-arm seamer Tharika Sewwandi and Sathya Sandeepani have been left out from the squad that played at home against India.
Teenager Vishmi Gunaratne, who made her debut in the CWG Qualifier in January 2022, is also part of the squad. In the second T20I against India in Dambulla, she made her highest score of 45 in the format as she put up an 87-run opening stand with captain Chamari Athapaththu.
Batter Harshitha Samarawickrama also finds a place in the squad despite having a quiet series against India, possibly on the back of her performances in the qualifiers where she was Sri Lanka’s second-highest run scorer. The Sri Lankan middle order also features the in-form Nilakshi de Silva, Hasini Perera and Kavisha Dilhari.
The experienced duo of Udeshika Prabodhani and Ama Kanchana will lead the seam attack which also features Achini Kulasuriya. The spin department has the duo of Inoka Ranaweera and Oshadi Ranasinghe, both of whom combined to pick 11 wickets in the three T20Is versus India, apart from Silva, Dilhari and Athapaththu.
Only Athapaththu and Prabodhani in the squad have experience of playing T20Is in England while – apart from the duo – Ranasinghe, Samarawickrama, Kanchana and Ranaweera have played ODIs in the country.
Sri Lanka are placed in Group B and will take on England (July 30), New Zealand (August 2) and South Africa (August 4) in the tournament that will feature women’s cricket for the first time ever.
Squad: Chamari Athapaththu (capt), Hasini Perera, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Vishmi Gunaratne, Malsha Shehani, Nilakshi de Silva, Kavisha Dilhari, Ama Kanchana, Achini Kulasuriya, Inoka Ranaweera, Udeshika Prabodhani, Sugandika Kumari, Rashmi de Silva, Oshadi Ranasinghe Anushka Sanjeewani
S Sudarshanan is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
Source: ESPN Crickinfo
