Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews passed fit for India tour

Sport360 staff 13:44 01/11/2017
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Angelo Mathews has recovered from his calf injury.

    Sri Lanka were handed a huge boost ahead of their full tour of India with all-rounder Angelo Mathews being declared fit and available for selection.

    One of the mainstays of the Sri Lankan team, Mathews had missed the islanders’ two-Test series against Pakistan in the UAE due to a calf strain. Dinesh Chandimal’s men had inflicted a first-ever Test series defeat on Pakistan in the UAE after they shocked Sarfraz Ahmed’s men 2-0.

    Along with Mathews, there was more good news for the tourists with Kusal Perera and Asela Gunaratne also being declared fit for the tour.

    “Angelo and Kusal Janith (Perera) have both recovered and they will be considered for selection for the Indian series,” Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) chief executive Ashley De Silva was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

    “Asela Gunaratne is fit as well,” De Silva added.

    While Sri Lanka did manage to shock Pakistan for an unexpected Test series win, their results in the limited-overs format leave a lot to be desired with 16 consecutive losses on the bounce.

    The islanders were blanked 5-0 and 3-0 in the ODI and T20I series which followed against Pakistan and had earlier suffered the same fate against India at home.

    Young gun Kusal Mendis was also declared fit for the India series.

    Young gun Kusal Mendis was also declared fit for the India series.

    “It’s pretty obvious what the mood will be like when you’ve lost 16 games,” interim coach Nic Pothas said.

    “With respect to new faces, that’s a conversation that we need to have with the selectors,” the South African added.

    “But I think it stands to reason that in any walk of life, when you’ve had negative results for a period of time you need to see some change somewhere.”

    Sri Lanka are set to play three Tests and as many ODIs and T20Is against India with the first Test slated to begin on November 16.

    SLC also expects to announce a permanent coach for the team by the end of the calendar year with Pothas still functioning in an interim capacity.

    “We are discussing with about three or four coaches, including Nic Pothas. We hope to finalise the decision by the end of the year,” De Silva said.

    Recommended