The national players playing in the ILT20 tournament in Dubai have been informed to return to the island by Saturday (20) to train together with the national squad ahead of two crucial white ball tournaments to be held in January next year, Sri Lanka Cricket said.
Sri Lanka Cricket CEO Ashley de Silva confirmed this to the media.
“We have two very important bilateral tournaments scheduled against Pakistan and England. We thought it would be appropriate for the players to train together as a group before those bilateral tournaments, which is the main reason for recalling them,” he said.
Several Sri Lankan players, including Pathum Nissanka, Mahesh Theekshana, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Nuwan Thushara and Matheesha Pathirana, are currently participating in the ILT20 tournament in the UAE.
Nissanka has been among the standout performers in the tournament, while Pathirana and Mendis have won the Man of the Match awards during the tournament.
He said that the Executive Committee (Ex Co) has taken a unanimous decision in this regard and it has been officially communicated to all players involved in the T20 matches in the UAE.
Sri Lanka is scheduled to host Pakistan for a three-match T20I series at the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium from 7-11 January 2026, which is expected to accelerate preparations for the upcoming ICC T20I World Cup.
They are then scheduled to host England from January 22-27, with a three-match ODI series at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium and a three-match T20I series at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium from January 30 to February 3, respectively.
Another reason for calling the national players to Colombo was that the new selection committee headed by Pramodya Wickramasinghe has been tasked with selecting the squad for the Pakistan series, said de Silva.
“The new selection committee is set to name the squad soon, and we felt it was necessary for the new board to personally engage with the players before the selection process. These were the main reasons that led to this move,” he said.
After the conclusion of the series against England, Sri Lanka is set to begin the ICC Men’s T20I World Cup, which it will co-host with India from February 8 to March 9, 2026.
It is reliably learnt that Sri Lanka Cricket has earlier issued certificates to allow players to participate in the ILT20 until early January.
In addition, several players, including Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera, who were scheduled to join the ILT20 squad later in the tournament, will also be unable to play after being recalled, informed sources said.
This move by Sri Lanka Cricket is in sharp contrast to Pakistan’s reported approach to getting players for the T20I series to be held in Sri Lanka.
According to foreign media reports, the Pakistan Cricket Board has given its blessing to several senior players, including former captain Babar Azam and ODI captain Shaheen Shah Afridi, to play in the Big Bash League in Australia instead of returning early for the Sri Lanka tour.
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