The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) selection committee has picked a 15-person team that will go to Zimbabwe for the upcoming ODI World Cup Qualifiers. Roshan Ranasinghe, Sri Lanka’s Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, gave the team permission to go to the African country. They will leave on June 10.
Notably, Sri Lanka Cricket also said that former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene, who is now an assistant coach for the national team, will go to the important qualifiers with the team. SLC also said that only a small number of support staff will go to the playoffs, but that number will grow if the team gets into the 2023 ODI World Cup, which will be held in India in October and November.
“We can only send a small number of helpers on the trip to Zimbabwe. But if our team makes it to the World Cup, we will try to send them, Prof. Arjuna de Silva, head of the SLC medical group, told The Daily Mirror.
The Sri Lankan Lions are going to the important ICC event after beating Afghanistan 2-1 in a three-match ODI series at home that just ended. The World Cup qualifiers will start on June 18, and the finals will take place on July 9.
Sri Lanka is in Group B with Ireland, Oman, Scotland, and the United Arab Emirates. Ten teams are taking part in the qualifiers, and the top two teams will be guaranteed spots in the ODI World Cup in India.
The Dasun Shanaka-led team will play two exhibition games against the Netherlands and the United States on June 13 and 15, respectively. Monday, June 19, is the first day of the group phase for the Lankan Lions. They will play in the UAE.
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