Sri Lanka’s white-ball captain Charith Asalanka has been ruled out of the ongoing Pakistan tour due to illness, along with fast bowler Asitha Fernando. Both players are set to return home ahead of the Tri-Nation T20 Series featuring Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe, scheduled to begin tomorrow.
The duo also missed the third ODI against Pakistan due to the same illness, and following medical consultation, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) decided to send them back to Colombo for recovery. SLC confirmed the decision through an official media release, stating that the players need time to regain full fitness before future assignments.
With Asalanka’s absence, vice-captain and former skipper Dasun Shanaka has been appointed as the stand-in captain for the upcoming T20 series.
Meanwhile, opener Pawan Rathnayake has been added to Sri Lanka’s T20 squad for the tri-series.
Sri Lanka will play their first match of the tournament against Zimbabwe on the 20th.
