The rest of the squad, though, has few surprises. The batting unit mostly picks itself, with captain Dasun Shanaka leading the likes of Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva and Samarawickrama.
Hemantha earned his maiden cap in the first ODI against Afghanistan, stepping in for the injured Hasaranga. However, upon Hasaranga’s return to the XI, he failed to feature for the rest of the series. His inclusion seems to be based primarily on his ability to act as cover for Hasaranga, though he has impressed domestically in the recent past.
Where Sri Lanka’s trump cards lie, though, is in their lively – though fragile – seam department. Dushmantha Chameera, who made an impressive return to action in the Afghanistan series after ten months out, heads it, although his workload still needs managing. The same goes for Lahiru Kumara, who is capable of express pace but also, far too often, of not being able to complete his spells owing to niggling injuries – most recently in the first ODI against Afghanistan.
Kasun Rajitha, who rounds out the lot, is not express but can be relied upon for some early swing, and nagging lines and lengths.
Sri Lanka begin their qualifying campaign on June 19 against UAE in Bulawayo, prior to which they will play three warm-up games.
Sri Lanka squad: Dasun Shanaka (capt), Kusal Mendis (wk), Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushan Hemantha, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lahiru Kumara, Dushmantha Chameera, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana, Maheesh Theekshana