Welegedara returns for Champions Trophy

Fast bowler Chanaka Welegedara has earned an ODI recall, picked in Sri Lanka's 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy. Welegedara has not played international limited-overs cricket since mid-2010, and had to return home mid-way through Sri Lanka's Test series in Australia last December with a hamstring injury.

Expectedly Mahela Jayawardene and Rangana Herath, the two senior players who had missed Sri Lanka's previous one-day assignment, return; Jayawardene had missed the home ODIs against Bangladesh in March due to a finger injury, while Herath had been rested.

Batsman Upul Tharanga, who had a woeful series against Australia - 13 runs in three innings - and did not make the XI in the games against Bangladesh, does not feature in the squad.

Spinner Ajantha Mendis, who was not picked for the Bangladesh one-dayers, has not made this squad either.

Welegedara had an injury-plagued 2012, straining his groin in March during the home series against England and then, on recovering from that, tearing a shoulder muscle as Sri Lanka prepared to play Pakistan in June. While one of Sri Lanka's preferred options in Test cricket, he has not been part of the limited-overs set-up of late. After pulling up during the Boxing Day Test, he was out of competitive cricket for a month, before returning to first-class cricket in February. Since then he took 23 wickets in seven matches for Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club.

Batsmen Kithuruwan Vithanage and Angelo Perera, and allrounder Sachith Pathirana, who earned maiden call-ups for the Bangladesh series, miss out.

Sri Lanka had tied the series against Australia (2-2) and Bangladesh (1-1).