Kusal Perera ruled out of Bangladesh T20Is, Dickwella recalled

Sri Lanka have handed a recall to Niroshan Dickwella for the upcoming T20Is in Bangladesh.

With the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 three months away, Sri Lanka have decided to recall Niroshan Dickwella, who last appeared in the format for them in 2021, to the T20I squad following an illness to Kusal Perera.

Perera was scheduled to fly out with the rest of the team to Bangladesh on Thursday, 29 February, but did not due to suffering from a respiratory infection.

Dickwella will instead join with the rest of the squad on Saturday ahead of the first T20I scheduled to take place on Monday. It is an interesting decision from Sri Lanka in a T20 World Cup year, and suggests that Dickwella is among the contenders to make the final T20 World Cup squad.

The 30-year-old wicketkeeper played Test matches last year for Sri Lanka but has not appeared in white-ball cricket since 2022, and T20I since 2021.

He has played 28 T20Is, averaging 18.46 with just one half-century to his name.

The squad already has another wicketkeeper in Sadeera Samarawickrama. Charith Asalanka will lead the side in the first two T20Is in the absence of regular captain Wanindu Hasaranga, who will serve a two-match ban for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct.

Sri Lanka T20I squad: Wanindu Hasaranga (c), Charith Asalanka (vc), Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Maheesh Theekshana, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dilshan Madushanka, Nuwan Thushara, Matheesha Pathirana, Akila Dananjaya, Binura Fernando, Kamindu Mendis, Avishka Fernando, Jeffrey Vandersay, Niroshan Dickwella.