Home
Sri Lanka Cricket has confirmed that their star spinner Dunith Wellalage will rejoin the team in Dubai on Saturday, September 20 morning. He had returned home to attend his father's funeral and will now be available for Sri Lanka's Super Four match against Bangladesh at the ongoing Asia Cup. The 22-year-old is scheduled to travel to the UAE on Friday night, accompanied by Team Manager Mahinda Halangode. His return means he can be considered for selection for the crucial match, which will take place on Saturday evening at the Dubai International Stadium.
Dunith Wellalage to be available for SL vs BAN Asia Cup Super 4 clash
Wellalage received the heartbreaking news of his father's death after Sri Lanka's six-wicket victory over Afghanistan, which saw the team advance to the Super Four stage. He immediately left for home following the conclusion of the match. His performance in that game was challenging; he took 1 wicket for 49 runs in four overs and conceded five sixes and a total of 32 runs in his final over.
Dunith Wellalage's sole wicket in the match was that of Ibrahim Zadran, who was struggling to find his rhythm. Wellalage tossed a ball up, tempting Zadran to step out of his crease. The Afghan batter got caught in an awkward position and failed to get the necessary elevation, sending the ball directly to Dushmantha Chameera for a catch. Zadran's innings ended with a slow 24 runs off 27 balls. This was Wellalage's fifth T20I match and his first in the tournament. He has played 31 ODIs to date, including two five-wicket hauls against India. During the 2023 ODI Asia Cup, he was particularly effective, taking 10 wickets at an average of 17.90, which made him the joint-second-highest wicket-taker in the competition. Dunith Wellalage has been a valuable asset to the Sri Lankan team, with 39 wickets in ODIs and seven in T20Is. In the 50-over format, he has also shown his batting ability, scoring 386 runs in 24 innings at an average of 20.31, including one half-century.
ADVERTISEMENT
