Sri Lanka announce 15-member squad for ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2023

Sri Lanka announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2023 on February 1. Veteran all-rounder Chamari Athapaththu will be leading the team as they are set to face tournament hosts South Africa in the opening clash on February 10.

The 27-year-old Hasini Perera has been ruled out the tournament due to a finger injury while training and is replaced by young batter Sathya Sandeepani. The latter played only T20I against India during the 2020 T20 World Cup and returns to the team after almost three years.

Vishmi Gunaratne, who captained Sri Lanka in the inaugural Women's U19 World Cup 2023, is included in the team. She has played nine T20Is for the senior team but missed the 2022 Women's Asia Cup due to injury. Apart from Vishmi, Ama Kanchana is also included in the team in place of leg-spinner Rashmi Silva.

The Sri Lankan team is training under the former cricketer and fast-bowling coach Rumesh Ratnayake after the sudden resignation from former head coach Hashan Thilakaratne.

Sri Lanka Women lacks preparation:

Sri Lanka ranks eighth in the current ICC T20I women team's standings and lacks preparation for the mega tournament. They last played any international cricket in the Women's Asia Cup 2022 in October. They lost to India in the final by eight wickets after impressive outings throughout the tournament.

They are scheduled to play two warm-up games before T20 WC, against Ireland on February 6 and against West Indies on February 8, to gain some match fitness ahead of the tournament. They are placed in Group A where they will compete against South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Bangladesh for the top two spots.

Sri Lanka Women Squad for the Women's T20 World Cup 2023: Chamari Athapaththu (c), Oshadi Ranasinghe, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Nilakshi de Silva, Kavisha Dilhari, Anushka Sanjeewani, Kaushini Nuthyangana, Malsha Shehani, Inoka Ranaweera, Sugandika Kumari, Achini Kulasuriya, Vishmi Gunaratne, Tharika Sewwandi, Ama Kanchana, Sathya Sandeepani