Colombo, Sep 22 (IANS) Sri Lanka Cricket on Tuesday named a 15-member men’s squad for the ongoing Asian Games 2026 in Japan, with Sahan Arachchige appointed captain and Niroshan Dickwella retained as the wicketkeeper.
The Sri Lankan squad is scheduled to leave for Japan on September 24, with the 10-team T20I competition set to be held from September 24 to October 3 at Kōrogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Aichi Prefecture.
The squad features a mix of experienced campaigners and fringe players, with Chamika Karunaratne and Nuwan Thushara among the senior names. Ashen Bandara, Sohan de Livera and Lasith Croospulle provide batting options, while Vijayakanth Viyaskanth adds a specialist leg-spin option to the bowling attack.
The squad is significantly different from the one that recently featured in Sri Lanka’s three-match T20I series in England, which the hosts won 3-0 following an eight-wicket victory at Old Trafford on September 19.
Only Nuwan Thushara and Tharindu Ratnayake have been included in both squads. Charith Asalanka captained Sri Lanka in England after originally selected skipper Kusal Mendis and Binura Fernando were ruled out with injuries. Fernando has since recovered and has been included in the Asian Games squad.
Cricket has featured at the Asian Games on three occasions since making its debut at the 2010 edition in Guangzhou. Sri Lanka won bronze in Guangzhou before claiming the gold medal in Incheon in 2014, where they defeated Afghanistan in the final.
However, Sri Lanka returned empty-handed from the 2023 Hangzhou Games, with India winning gold, Afghanistan taking silver and Bangladesh securing the bronze medal.
Sri Lanka will now look to return to the Asian Games podium for the first time since their 2014 gold-medal triumph. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, besides Sri Lanka, are contenders for the medal in the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
Sri Lanka squad:
Sahan Arachchige (c), Lasith Croospulle, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Sineth Jayawardena, Nuwanidu Fernando, Sohan de Livera, Ashen Bandara, Chamika Karunaratne, Tharindu Ratnayake, Wanuja Sahan, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Dushan Hemantha, Nuwan Thushara, Binura Fernando, Garuka Sanketh
–IANS
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