Cricket-Sri Lanka's Mendis, Gunathilaka back from suspension for Australia series

COLOMBO (Reuters) - Top-order batsmen Kusal Mendis and Danushka Gunathilaka returned from their suspensions to make Sri Lanka's 20-member squad for their limited-overs tour of Australia, the country's cricket board said on Wednesday.

The duo, along with Niroshan Dickwella, were suspended last year for breaching the team's bio-bubble anti-coronavirus protocols during their tour of England in July.

Their suspensions were lifted earlier this month and Mendis and Gunathilaka were included in the Dasun Shanaka-led squad which will play five Twenty20 matches in Australia across three venues in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne.

According to a report in the Island newspaper, former paceman Lasith Malinga would join the squad as its fast bowling coach for the tour.

Sri Lanka are without a head coach since Mickey Arthur's two-year stint ended last month, and the newspaper said Englishman Paul Farbrace would succeed him ahead of the team's India tour in February-March.

Australia have rested opener David Warner and all-rounder Mitch Marsh from their 16-member squad for the Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka beginning on Feb. 11.

Sri Lanka squad: Dasun Shanaka (captain), Charith Asalanka, Avishka Fernando, Pathum Nissanka, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Chamika Karunaratne, Janith Liyanage, Kamil Mishara, Ramesh Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lahiru Kumara, Nuwan Thushara, Dushmantha Chameera, Binura Fernando, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Praveen Jayawickrama

(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)