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Former Sri Lanka white-ball captains Charith Asalanka and Dasun Shanaka are likely to be recalled for the white-ball formats ahead of the series against England. Sri Lanka is scheduled to face the England National Cricket Team for three T20Is and three ODIs, starting on September 15 and concluding with the final ODI on September 27.
According to the local news websites of the Island nation, Charith Asalanka and Dasun Shanaka are both set to join the national side again after missing out on some recent series.
Charith Asalanka and Dasun Shanaka set for Sri Lanka comeback
As per a Newswire report, Shanaka is likely to be recalled to Sri Lanka’s ODI squad, while Asalanka is likely to return to the T20I squad for the upcoming series against England.
Another Sri Lankan news website, Sunday Times, confirmed the possible development. In their latest report on August 30, they claimed in their report that Charith Asalanka and Dasun Shanaka are set to return to the national white-ball squads for the forthcoming series against England; the Sunday Times can confirm. However, Sri Lanka Cricket is yet to announce the team for the Sri Lanka vs England white-ball series.
Charith Asalanka played some outstanding knocks in the recent past
Charith Asalanka was dropped from the T20I team because of a long-standing bad patch. He was dropped from the team during the series against Pakistan and West Indies. Since January 2025, the top-order batter recorded only 255 runs in 19 innings. Recently, the left-hander hinted at getting back in his form again.
During the recently concluded Lankan Premier League (LPL). The experienced batter scored three half-centuries for champions Galle Gallants. Charith Asalanka is expected to join the national team's T20I squad with the 32-year-old opener Lahiru Udara, who ended this year's LPL with 434 runs in nine innings. In those 434 runs, the opener gathered 132 runs through a single unbeaten knock in the tournament.
Dasun Shanaka was Sri Lanka's captain in the previous ODI World Cup
The possible conclusion of Dasun Shanaka is also considered one of the significant moves by SLC, as they are creating a team for the upcoming ODI World Cup,p which will be in 2027. Shanaka will bring class, temperament, and solidity to the middle order of the Sri Lankan cricket team, which they will need badly when they are in the race for the title.
The next ODI World Cup will be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, with most of the matches in South Africa. In South Africa, every team will have to keep someone in their line-up who is technically strong in bouncy and seaming conditions. Shanaka has played 71 ODIs since making his debut in 2016, scoring 1,299 runs, including two centuries and four half-centuries.
He was the captain of the team during the previous edition of the World Cup. Age appeared to be one of the reasons the SLC selectors opted to look beyond the batter. Ahead of another ODI World Cup, when he will be 35 next month, he will be in contention to travel to South Africa for the event.
