Sri Lanka A squad for West Indies tour announced

Sri Lanka's selectors have picked a squad of 24 players in preparation for the A tour of West Indies starting next month.

Selection committee sources said that the final composition of 16 players would be selected during the second match of the Duleep Trophy tournament in India against South Zone which begins on November 4.

If Sri Lanka A qualify for the Duleep final they will have only three days before taking off to the Caribbean on November 20, with the final at Kolkata from November 12 to 15. If they fail to qualify the 15-man squad, led by Tilan Samaraweera, will have more than a week to rest, as they will return on November 9.

The A side's one-month tour of the Caribbean comprises two four-day unofficial Tests at Guyana and at St. Kitts and five limited-over matches, the first two being played under lights at Antigua and the last three at Trelawney, Jamaica. The dates for the matches have not yet been finalised.

This is the first time Sri Lanka have sent an A side to tour the Caribbean. The national team has been there twice before, they had a tour there in 1997 and one in 2003.

Squad for West Indies tour Michael van Dort, Avishka Gunawardene, Mahela Udawatte, Tilan Samaraweera (capt), Russell Arnold, Jeevan Mendis, Tilina Kandamby, Jehan Mubarak, Chamara Silva, Malintha Warnapura, Kaushal Silva, Charith Sylvester (Chilaw Marians), Kosala Kulasekera, Gayan Wijekoon, Malinga Bandara, Suraj Mohamed, Kaushal Lokuarachchi, Akalanka Ganegama, Dhammika Prasad, Ishara Amerasinghe, Thilan Thushara, Tharanga Lakshitha, Nuwan Zoysa, Nuwan Kulasekera.