Tharanga to lead Sri Lanka A

Upul Tharanga, the Sri Lankan opening batsman, has been appointed captain of the 14-member Sri Lanka A side for the tour of India from October 10 to 30. The squad comprises six others who toured South Africa recently: Tharanga Paranavitana, Kaushal Silva, Kanchana Gunawardene, Angelo Mathews, Chanaka Welagedera and Isuru Udana.

The team will play three-day matches against Karnataka (October 14-16), Hyderabad (October 18-20), and two games against Andhra Pradesh (October 22-24 and October 26-28). The matches are being organised by Andhra Pradesh Cricket Association.

Tharanga, who last played for Sri Lanka in April, has been in and out of the team owing to his inconsistent form. But the South Africa tour saw him regain his touch, scoring 250 runs in four one-day games at 83.33. In a match in East London, he smashed an unbeaten 173 to guide his side to victory in a high-scoring game. His impressive form continued after the tour as he scored 147 off 123 balls to steer his club, Nondescripts Cricket Club, to a four-wicket win over rivals SSC in their annual JR Jayawardene Memorial Trophy one-day encounter on Sunday.