adminCOLOMBO. — Pakistan opening batsman Ahmed Shehzad has been fined half of his match fee for pushing Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan in the shoulder during their 113-run victory in the third one-day international on Sunday. Ahmed has pleaded guilty to the charge of ‘inappropriate and deliberate physical contact between players’ brought by the umpires, the International Cricket Council said in a statement yesterday.
The incident occurred at the end of the 19th over of the Pakistan innings after a debate between Dilshan and Ahmed, who scored 81 before being run out in the match at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates.
The win put Pakistan 2-1 up in the five-match series. The fourth ODI will be played on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi with the final match on Friday.
Meanwhile, experienced batsman Mahela Jayawardene and left-arm spinner Rangana Herath will return for Sri Lanka’s three-test series against Pakistan in UAE after skipping the ongoing one-day contests due to personal reasons.
The duo were named in a 16-man squad on Monday along with three uncapped test players.
Vishwa Fernando, a 22-year-old left-arm fast-medium bowler, has not represented his country in any format while off-spinners Sachitra Senanayake and Dilruwan Perera have appeared in ODIs
Wicket-keeper Kaushal Silva, a consistent scorer in domestic cricket, finds a place in the test squad as a replacement for Tillakaratne Dilshan, who retired from test cricket early this year.
Fast bowler Shaminda Eranga has been recalled to the test side after being rested for the ODIs against New Zealand and Pakistan. The three-test series starts in Abu Dhabi on Dec. 31.
Sri Lanka test squad:
Angelo Mathews (captain), Dinesh Chandimal, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kumar Sangakkara, Lahiru Thirimanne, Mahela Jayawardene, Prasanna Jayawardene, Nuwan Kulasekara, Suranga Lakmal, Shaminda Eranga, Vishwa Fernando, Sachitra Senanayake, Nuwan Pradeep, Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera. (Editing by Pritha Sarkar) — Reuters
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