Dickwella called back after Perera ruled out of Sri Lanka’s T20Is against Bangladesh

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka have recalled wicketkeeper-batter Niroshan Dickwella for their upcoming T20Is against Bangladesh after Kusal Perera was ruled out due to a respiratory infection. Dickwella, 30, played Test matches last year for Sri Lanka but has not appeared in white-ball cricket since 2022, and in T20Is since 2021. He has played 28 T20Is, averaging 18.46 with just one half-century to his name.

As per Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), Dickwella will join the team on Saturday, after Perera did not join the team which left for Bangladesh on Thursday. The Sri Lanka squad already has another wicketkeeper in Sadeera Samarawickrama.

Batter Charith Asalanka will lead Sri Lanka in the first two T20Is in the absence of regular captain Wanindu Hasaranga, who will serve a two-match ban for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct due to his comments over umpire Lyndon Hannibal in the third T20I against Afghanistan on February 21.

This will be the first time Asalanka will captain Sri Lanka in international cricket. The three-match T20I series will be played at Sylhet from March 4, which gives both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh a chance to finetune their preparation ahead of the Men’s T20 World Cup, to be held in the West Indies and USA from June 1-29.

Sri Lanka squad for Bangladesh T20Is: Wanindu Hasaranga (c), Charith Asalanka (VC), Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Maheesh Theekshana, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dilshan Madushanka, Nuwan Thushara, Matheesha Pathirana, Akila Dananjaya, Binura Fernando, Kamindu Mendis, Avishka Fernando, Jeffrey Vandersay, Niroshan Dickwella.