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COLOMBO, Aug 10: Sri Lanka recalled pace man Dilhara Fernando to their 14-man squad on Tuesday for the ICC Champions Trophy in England next month. Fernando, 25, replaces middle-order batsman Thilina Kandamby in the only change to Sri Lanka's victorious Asia Cup squad.
Chairman of selectors Ashantha De Mel believes the addition of a fifth fast bowler will give skipper Marvan Atapattu more options in England. "Dilhara has been bowling well in the nets ... with Lasith Malinga still inexperienced, Dilhara's inclusion gives the tour selectors a better option," De Mel told reporters.
"We expect the top six batsmen to score the runs which leaves the seventh spot for an all-rounder, either Farveez Maharoof or Upul Chandana." Fernando, who has appeared in 57 One-day Internationals, has been plagued by back injuries since breaking into the Sri Lankan squad four years ago. Sri Lanka will take on Zimbabwe (Sept 14) and hosts England (Sept 17) in Pool D of the Champions Trophy.
SQUAD: Marvan Atapattu (captain), Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Tillekeratne Dilshan, Chaminda Vaas, Farveez Maharoof, Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan, Nuwan Zoysa, Dilhara Fernando, Saman Jayantha, Avishka Gunawardene, Upul Chandana.
FRANKLIN LEFT OUT
AUCKLAND: New Zealand chose seam bowler Kyle Mills ahead of James Franklin in their 14-man squad on Tuesday for the ICC Champions Trophy in England next month. Coach John Bracewell told reporters that Mills offered more flexibility than left-arm paceman Franklin, who did well after being called into the squad following a spate of injuries on New Zealand's recent tour of England.
Mills was one of the players hit by injury and did not feature in the triangular one-day series which also involved West Indies, a competition the Kiwis won to move up to second place behind Australia in the world rankings.
Apart from Franklin, who was named on Tuesday in the New Zealand 'A' party to tour South Africa next month, the Champions Trophy squad contained no surprises. The Kiwis meet the United States (Sept 10) and Australia (Sept 16) in Pool A of the Champions Trophy.
SQUAD: Stephen Fleming (captain), Nathan Astle, Ian Butler, Chris Cairns, Chris Harris, Hamish Marshall, Brendan McCullum, Craig McMillan, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Michael Papps, Scott Styris, Daryl Tuffey, Daniel Vettori. -Reuters
