Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka and Asitha Fernando will return home from the Pakistan tour due to “illness”, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) announced on their X handle without specifying what the illness was. SLC said that the two players will not take part in the upcoming tri-series featuring Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe. The board added: “This precautionary decision ensures they receive proper care and sufficient time to recover ahead of future assignments.”
This comes on the heels of reports from the Sri Lankan camp less than a week ago where as many as eight Sri Lankan cricketers were said to be scared for their safety and eager to return home after a suicide bombing in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, killing 12 and wounding 27 outside a district court building. At that point, the SLC had stepped in, and “instructed all players, support staff, and team management to continue with the tour as scheduled.” The Sri Lankan board had also issued a threat of a “formal review” in case any players or staff member ignored its directive and abandoned the tour.
On Sunday, Pakistan routed Sri Lanka by a 3-0 margin in the ODI series with a six-wicket victory in their third and final ODI.
The board also stated that in the absence of Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka will lead the side in the tournament which also features Zimbabwe. The Sri Lankan side has also been reinforced by top-order batter Pavan Rathnayake, who made his ODI debut in the third and final game against Pakistan on Sunday, and was added into the T20 squad. Rathnayake made 32 off 37 balls in a losing cause on Sunday.
Host Pakistan will take on Zimbabwe in the opening match of the tri-series on Tuesday in which all the three teams play against each other twice with top two qualifying for the November 29 final. Rawalpindi will host all the seven games.
The tri-series will serve as build up for next year’s T20 World Cup for which Zimbabwe has qualified after missing out on the last edition in 2024.
(With inputs from AP)
Stay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.
