Sri Lanka in Kent eight days ahead to get right gauge
In an accelerated country to country upswing to the upcoming 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, Sri Lanka’s campaign has mounted in full throttle with the 15-member squad headed by skipper Angelo Mathews going through the final peak level fine tuning throes. A significant feature to Sri Lanka’s bid to land the jackpot that has seen an ace in the coaching expertise pack in former South African speedster, Allan Donald is an eight-day ahead of schedule landing on English shores. This step by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is interpreted as a key acclimatizing preparatory factor by Mathews’ charges. It will pave the ground for Sri Lanka to play two warm-up matches against Scotland which the Sri Lanka Cricket management has accentuated at its own cost. This move is aimed at giving the players an ideally right conditioning in getting a better grasp of English wickets and overall playing conditions. Importantly the two matches against Scotland have been secured by SLC besides the ICC organized practice matches for all participating teams ahead of the 18-day showpiece event that gets underway on June 1 in England and Wales.
In a body and limb Sri Lankan camp agog with bat and ball rituals that sees Allan Donald in the all important chore of gelling up the fast bowling department, Skipper Angelo Mathews, fresh from an IPL stint for the Delhi Daredevils, has reasoned that Sri Lanka’s special emphasis on acclimatization to English conditions would be key to preparations for the big stakes. What has heightened the Sri Lankan thrust to the trophy stakes is the stated optimism of South African born Head Coach Graham Ford that Sri Lanka has the capacity to beat any team, and that the key to it was getting the right player mind set. Sri Lanka will arrive in Kent on May 18 where side games against Scotland will be played on May 21 and23 followed by ICC arranged matches against Australia and England.
Altogether the top eight ICC ranked teams namely reigning champions India, Sri Lanka, Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Bangladesh are in the fray for the Champions Trophy. A notable non participant is the once world dominant West Indies who failed to qualify.
List of all the squads
Sri Lanka squad
Angelo Mathews (c), Upul Tharanga, Niroshan Dickwella, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Chamara Kapugedera, Asela Gunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Nuwan Kulasekera, Thisara Perera, Lakshan Sandakan, Seekkuge Prasanna.
India squad
Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Yuvraj Singh, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Manish Pandey, Mohammed Shami
Australia squad
Steve Smith (c), David Warner, Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, John Hastings, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa
Keshav Maharaj, left-arm orthodox spinner, is a notable inclusion in the South Africa squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 event (AFP)
South Africa squad
AB de Villiers (c), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wkt), JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada.
Bangladesh squad
Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah, Sabbir Rahman, Mosaddek Hossain, Mehedi Hasan, Sunzamul Islam, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza (c), Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam
England squad
Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
New Zealand squad
Kane Williamson (c), Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Luke Ronchi, Ross Taylor, Neil Broom, Jimmy Neesham, Corey Anderson, Mitch Santner, Colin de Grandhomme, Jeetan Patel, Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Mitchell McClenaghan, Trent Boult
Pakistan squad
Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Azhar Ali, Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Fakhar Zaman, Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Fahim Ashraf, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir, Junaid Khan, Shadab Khan
By Srian Obeyesekere
-The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Sri Lanka Cricket-
