On the eve of the first T20I against England, Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka talked up Perera's experience when asked about his selection. "He has been in the T20 side [in] the recent past, even though he was left out of the squad to face Pakistan," Shanaka said. That said, with the World Cup close by, his workload needs to be managed," Shanaka said. For all the debate around these selections, Sri Lanka could be - at least on paper - genuine contenders for a World Cup they are co-hosting. This was highlighted recently by former England captain Nasser Hussain, who backed Sri Lanka to make a deep run in the tournament.