The Sri Lankan cricketers are tentatively undergoing training at R. Premadasa Stadium under the guidance of national coach Mickey Arthur in preparation for the upcoming three-test series against Bangladesh, which is scheduled to commence from October 24 at Pallekelle Stadium, Kandy.
The 23-member squad which was formed recently will continue their training sessions, including fitness, at the Premadasa stadium. Four players, namely Santush Gunathilake, Kavindu Mendis, Asitha Fernando and Wanindu Hasaranga, have been released to represent their clubs engaged in the under-23 tournament which commenced last Wednesday. Once confirmation of the tour is finalised the squad will be pruned down to 15 players two weeks before the first match.
Meanwhile, as per reliable sources, the management is likely to experiment with seamer friendly wickets for this tour, to encourage the pace bowlers who are included in the squad. They are to play with one specialized spinner along with three fast bowlers, unlike the past where they used two specialized spinners. The inclusion of Dhananjaya de Silva in the team will be an added advantage, as he will play a pivotal role as an all-rounder.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is awaiting the final feedback from the COVID Task Force, whether they could make some slight adjustments to their earlier stipulated health conditions to accommodate the Bangladesh team as per schedule. After the intervention of the Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa’s, a SLC delegation comprising President Shammi Silva, Secretary Mohan de Silva, CEO Ashley de Silva and other officials met Shavendra Silva, Army Commander and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force last Wednesday to discuss the viability of commencing the scheduled tour. He is likely to come out with a favorable reply within the next few days.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) rejected the terms and conditions communicated by SLC pertaining to COVID-19 pandemic precautions, including the 14-day quarantine, which they wanted to be pruned down to a week last Monday.
0 comments:
Post a Comment