World Cup opener, Upul Tharanga, will be brought into the national squad after his three months ban ends on August 9, a top official of Sri Lanka Cricket revealed. Tharanga who opened with present skipper, T. M. Dilshan in the 2011 World Cup is serving three months ban after failing a drugs test, soon after the World Cup tournament.
"We cannot include him in an official squad before he completes his ban of three months. What so ever, he has all the chances of playing against the Australians" "He will miss the couple of T20 games in Pallekele and possibly the first ODI" a senior official of Sri Lanka Cricket told Mirror Sports on Saturday. Tharanga was the fifth highest run scorer in the 2011 World Cup. He scored 395 runs in nine matches with couple of centuries.
He was banned from all types of cricket for three months by the ICC, due to failing a dope test. As a result, he was not chosen in the initial 20 member squad to face the Australians in next month and he is also not playing in the Inter Provincial T-20 tournament, currently being held at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
