Dasun Shanaka Returns as Sri Lanka Prepares for England Tour
Sri Lanka have turned back to a familiar face for a crucial stretch of white-ball cricket in England, recalling former captain Dasun Shanaka for his first ODI appearance since January 2024 and signalling a clear desire for experience in the middle order ahead of next year’s ODI World Cup.
Shanaka, who has featured in 71 ODIs and led the side in 43 of them, comes back into a one-day squad that recently edged a rain-hit series 1-0 in the Caribbean. His numbers with the bat – an average of 22.39 – remain modest, but his presence, temperament and versatility with ball and bat have clearly been deemed too valuable to ignore as Sri Lanka build towards another global tournament.
Legspin gamble and pace reshuffle
Alongside Shanaka, uncapped legspinner Sachindu Colombage is the other fresh face in the ODI group for the tour of England. His inclusion adds another attacking spin option to a squad already boasting Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana and Dunith Wellalage – a clear indication that Sri Lanka intend to lean heavily on their spinners, even in English conditions.
The reshuffle comes at the expense of pacers Milan Rathnayake and Pramod Madushan, both omitted after being part of the squad that clinched the shortened series in the West Indies. With Dushmantha Chameera, Eshan Malinga, Asitha Fernando and Dilshan Madushanka retained, Sri Lanka have opted for a more streamlined, high-impact seam group to complement their varied spin attack.
Kusal Mendis continues to lead the ODI side, with Charith Asalanka confirmed as his deputy:
Sri Lanka squad for England ODIs: Kusal Mendis (captain), Charith Asalanka (vice-captain), Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kamindu Mendis, Janith Liyanage, Pavan Rathnayake, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Sachindu Colombage, Dushmantha Chameera, Eshan Malinga, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka.
Asalanka’s T20 revival
If Shanaka’s recall steadies the ODI group, the T20I squad carries its own storyline. Charith Asalanka, left out of the T20Is against West Indies, returns on the back of a powerful Lanka Premier League campaign and immediately steps into a central leadership role.
Asalanka hammered 385 runs in the LPL at an average of 38.50 and a strike-rate of 153.38, with four half-centuries for eventual champions Galle Gallants. Those numbers demanded attention. Now he not only walks back into the T20 side but also takes on the vice-captaincy for the entire tour, reinforcing his status as one of the pillars of Sri Lanka’s white-ball future.
Kusal Mendis, entrusted with continuity, remains captain across both formats.
LPL form rewarded
The selectors have also rewarded Lahiru Udara, the leading run-scorer in the LPL with 434 runs. His only previous T20I came at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, but his domestic form has forced a second opportunity on the bigger stage. This tour offers him a genuine chance to translate domestic dominance into international security.
All-rounder Janith Liyanage, already in the ODI setup, earns a T20 call-up as well, while ambidextrous spinner Tharindu Rathnayake adds a rare tactical wrinkle to the bowling options. Their inclusions underline Sri Lanka’s search for flexibility and match-up options in the shortest format.
The flip side is a cut-throat message to those left out. Lasith Croospulle, Pavan Rathnayake, Milan Rathnayake and Dilshan Madushanka, all part of the Caribbean tour party, drop out of the T20 group as the selectors tighten roles and reshape the balance of the side.
Sri Lanka squad for England T20Is: Kusal Mendis (captain), Charith Asalanka (vice-captain), Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Lahiru Udara, Kamindu Mendis, Janith Liyanage, Dasun Shanaka, Dunith Wellalage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Tharindu Rathnayake, Dushmantha Chameera, Eshan Malinga, Nuwan Thushara, Binura Fernando.
Tour schedule and stakes
The tour begins with three T20Is, a format that rarely allows time for adjustment. Sri Lanka open in Southampton on September 15, then move to Cardiff and Manchester in what will be a sharp examination of their batting depth and death-bowling plans.
Once the sprint is done, the focus switches to the longer white-ball game. The ODI leg starts on September 22 in Chester-le-Street, before heading to Leeds and The Oval – three venues where conditions can shift quickly and brutally, and where Sri Lanka’s blend of spin craft and reshaped pace attack will be tested.
With a World Cup looming on the horizon, these matches are more than just another tour of England. They are an audition – for Shanaka’s second act, for Asalanka’s growing authority, and for a squad trying to prove that its next cycle will be defined by steel rather than transition.
