Sri Lanka Women’s Squad for Ireland tour announced, starts 11 August

Sri Lanka has announced a 16-member squad for their upcoming tour of Ireland for a limited-overs series starting from August 11th. The series commences with a two-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series and followed by a three-match One-Day International (ODI) series. It will be the first time in 11 years that the Islanders will tour Ireland, having last toured in 2013.

The two venues allocated for the series are Pembroke and Stormont. Pembroke will host the two-match T20I series, while Stormont will host the three ODIs.

Sri Lanka’s 16-member squad will be led by Chamari Athapaththu, who recently also led the Lankan side to Asia Cup glory after beating India in the ninth edition of the Women’s Asia Cup.

The selection committee has retained all 15 players who were recently part of the Women’s Asia Cup for Ireland’s tour. The only addition to the squad is keeper-batter Kaushini Nuthyangana, who last featured for Sri Lanka against the West Indies in June 2024, playing two T20Is.

The Islanders had a spectacular performance in the Women’s Asia Cup, winning their first-ever title in the tournament’s 9 season history, beating 7-time champions India in a thrilling final. The Chamari Athapaththu-led side will look to continue their dominance against hosts Ireland in preparation for the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup in October 2024.

A clean sweep in the three-match ODI series would also propel them to second place in the 2022/23-24 Championship points table, as they are currently in fifth place.

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Sri Lanka will look to test their bench strength on the tour with the likes of the 15-year-old Shashini Gimhani and Kavya Kiwindi in the squad.

Shashini Gimhani, the ambidextrous leg-spinner, played only one match in the 2024 Women’s Asia Cup, grabbing three wickets against the Malaysian side. Shashini will look to make the most of the opportunities on the tour and potentially eye a place in the T20 World Cup squad later in October.

Sri Lanka will look for strong performances with the bat from the top order, who fired recently in the Women’s Asia Cup, with the likes of Chamari Athapaththu, Vishmi Gunaratne, and Harshita Samarawickrama at the top.

They will bank on the experience of left-arm pacer Udeshika Prabodhani, Inoshi Priyadarshini, and all-rounder Kavisha Dilhari in the bowling department.

Sri Lanka’s squad for limited over series against Ireland:

Chamari Athapaththu (C), Vishmi Gunaratne, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Hasini Perera, Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshi de Silva, Anushka Sanjeewani, Sugandika Kumari, Udeshika Prabodhani, Achini Kulasuriya, Inoshi Priyadharshani, Kawya Kavindi, Sachini Nisansala, Shashini Gimhani, Ama Kanchana, Kaushini Nuthyangana

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