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Kusal Mendis back as Sri Lanka captain for ODIs and T20s against West Indies

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka has handed the captaincy of its one-day and Twenty20 teams back to Kusal Mendis while retaining Dhananjaya de Silva as skipper for the tests on next month’s cricket tour of the West Indies.

Mendis captained Sri Lanka in the 50-over World Cup in 2023 but was replaced in 2024. He has never led his country in T20s.

He succeeds Charith Asalanka as ODI captain and Dasun Shanaka in the T20s. Both former skippers were kept in those respective squads named Monday.

Sri Lanka called up two uncapped players, batter Pasindu Sooriyabandara and fast medium bowler Isitha Wijesundara, to its test squad.

Leg-spin bowler Wanindu Hasaranga and fast bowler Eshan Malinga, who were ruled out of this year’s T20 World Cup because of injury, have returned to the white-ball squads.

Paceman Matheesha Pathirana, who also missed the World Cup, is sidelined again after being injured in the Indian Premier League.

The first tour game is an ODI in Kingston, Jamaica on June 3.

Squads

Test squad: Dhananjaya De Silva (captain), Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Udara, Nishan Madushka, Dinesh Chandimal, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Kamindu Mendis, Sonal Dinusha, Kusal Mendis, Milan Rathnayake, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Isitha Wijesundara, Kasun Rajitha.

ODIs: Kusal Mendis (captain), Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Pavan Rathnayake, Janith Liyanage, Charith Asalanka, Kamindu Mendis, Milan Rathnayake, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka, Eshan Malinga, Asitha Fernando, Pramod Madushan.

T20s: Kusal Mendis (captain), Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Lasith Croospulle, Pavan Rathnayake, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Milan Rathnayake, Dunith Wellalage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka, Eshan Malinga, Binura Fernando, Nuwan Thushara.

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

NYPD says dozens rescued from human trafficking during World Cup

By WTOP Staff
▶ Watch Video: Inside look at security preparations for World Cup Forty-three people, including seven minors, were rescued from human traffickers during the World Cup matches in the New York City area, according to the New York City Police Department's Special Victims Unit.The rescue operations were carried out between June 11 and July 19 by specialized NYPD detectives who arrested 89 individuals."The surprise was really the outpouring of support behind the mission and the collaboration with all our partners," said Inspector Gary Marcus, commanding officer of the Special Victims Unit.Those rescued, largely the victims of sex trafficking, are now being supported with an array of social services for the victims, including food, housing and counseling.The 87 operations carried out during the World Cup have generated new leads, officials said, and law enforcement agencies are building more cases based on the investigations already underway."We have ongoing investigations now as a result of these operations," an NYPD official told CBS News.Major sporting events are known to law enforcement as hotbeds of human trafficking.Years in advance, the NYPD devoted significant resources to preparing for the World Cup. Eight matches were played at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, including the final on Sunday."When we talk about the outreach and the prep we do, a large part of that involved visiting the known sex offenders, particularly the known human traffickers, in our registry," Marcus said. "Whether they're on parole or probation for human trafficking, we visited them to make sure they're compliant with the terms of their release, and secondly, to let them know that the NYPD is watching."The matches were held in multiple cities around the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Preparations to secure those games and prepare for crimes like human trafficking were coordinated between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.Police departments in many locations that hosted World Cup matches have made arrests and rescues connected to human trafficking, including in Georgia, New England and Missouri. Nationally, there were more than 673 arrests on human-trafficking charges made during the World Cup, and 61 adults and 13 minors rescued, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
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