Sri Lanka’s ODI squad to board flight after sports minister’s ratification

The Sri Lanka ODI squad has been ratified by Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera after one signature and a bloated ego prevented nine players from boarding a India-bound flight on Tuesday.

New Delhi: The Sri Lanka ODI squad has been ratified by Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera after one signature and a bloated ego prevented nine players from boarding a India-bound flight on Tuesday.

As per a particular law in Sri Lanka, a team has to get sanction from the sports minister.

"The team has been ratified by the Sports Minister Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekera. The team is scheduled to leave the island at 00.30 hours on the 6th of December 2017 (Tuesday night/Wednesday morning)," the Sri Lankan Board said in a statement.

"SLC also wishes to state that due to a delay in submitting the list of selected players to the ratification of the Honourable Minister as per the regulations of the Sport Law owing to the long weekend, the selected players were unable to travel to India yesterday as was originally scheduled, and will depart today instead," the SLC said.

All-rounder Asela Gunaratne and opening batsman Danushka Gunathilaka return to the Sri Lankan side that has lost 21 one-day games this year and won just four.

The three ODIs will be played in Dharamsala (December 10), Mohali (December 13) and Visakhapatnam (December 17).

Sri Lanka ODI squad: Thisara Perera (capt), Upul Tharanga, Danushka Gunathilaka, Lahiru Thirimanne, Angelo Mathews, Asela Gunaratne, Niroshan Dickwella, Chaturanga de Silva, Akila Dananjaya, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dhananjaya De Silva, Dushmantha Chameera, Sachith Pathirana, Kusal Janith Perera.