Sri Lanka T20I Squad for Pakistan Named, Hasaranga Ruled Out

Sri Lanka Cricket has named a 15-man Sri Lanka T20I squad for the tour of Pakistan, with Kusal Mendis as captain and Dushmantha Chameera picked subject to fitness. The three T20Is are on 9, 11 and 13 October, all in Rawalpindi. Wanindu Hasaranga is unavailable through injury. The squad departs on 4 October.

The T20Is open a six-week tour. An ODI triangular series involving England runs from 18 to 31 October. Two Tests follow, the first starting on 9 November, which the ICC reports count towards the World Test Championship 2025 to 2027 cycle.

Mendis leads, Chameera conditional

Mendis keeps the T20I captaincy. He arrives in form. The ICC reported him making 198 runs across three ODIs in England, with a best of 121. Chameera's place carries the note "subject to fitness" in the official release, so Sri Lanka have named a 15 that may yet be a 14.

Hasaranga is out injured. Vijayakanth Viyaskanth returns in his place as the wrist-spin option, and ThePapare lists Chamindu Wickramasinghe as the other recall. Pathum Nissanka and Charith Asalanka are not in the party. ThePapare reports both played the recent England series.

The 15 named by Sri Lanka Cricket

The official release lists the squad in this order.

• Kamil Mishara, Sineth Jayawardena, Kusal Mendis (captain), Lahiru Udara
• Sahan Arachchige, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Chamindu Wickramasinghe
• Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth
• Binura Fernando, Nuwan Thushara, Eshan Malinga
• Dushmantha Chameera, subject to fitness

Three players still in Japan

The selection has an awkward overlap. ThePapare reports Arachchige and Jayawardena as maiden T20I call-ups, and Arachchige spent this week captaining Sri Lanka at the Asian Games in Japan. He led the side in Saturday's bronze medal play-off, which Sri Lanka won by 63 runs over Bangladesh.

The ICC reported three squad members in that match: Arachchige, Jayawardena and Viyaskanth. The departure for Pakistan is the following day. Two of the three have never played a T20I. Their preparation for Rawalpindi is a flight.

Six weeks, three formats

Rawalpindi hosts all three T20Is inside five days. One venue, three matches, two rest days. A touring side carrying two uncapped players and a fitness clause has little room to settle a combination before the series is gone.

Then the formats change twice. The triangular ODIs with England and Pakistan run 18 to 31 October. England named a reshuffled squad for that leg this week, according to the ICC. The first Test starts on 9 November. Sri Lanka will be in Pakistan for roughly six weeks, and the T20I squad named on Friday covers only the first five days of it.

Friday's release covers the T20I squad only. Of the absences, Hasaranga's is the one given a stated reason, which is injury. The ODI and Test legs will need their own announcements, and Sri Lanka have five weeks of cricket in Pakistan after Rawalpindi to fill.