Hasaranga Injury: Sri Lanka Star Ruled Out of Bangladesh T20 Series Alternatively: Hamstring Injury Sidelines Hasaranga for T20 Series Against Bangladesh

Wanindu Hasaranga, the Sri Lankan legspinner, will miss the upcoming T20I series against Bangladesh due to a hamstring injury. The series is set to commence on Thursday, July 10.

Wanindu Hasaranga will miss the T20I series against Bangladesh. © AFP

The injury occurred during the final ODI of the recently concluded three-match series against Bangladesh. Sri Lanka won the series 2-1. Hasaranga sustained the injury on his right leg while batting.

Captain Charith Asalanka has confirmed that Jeffrey Vandersay will take Hasaranga's place in the squad for the three-match series. "He (Hasaranga) will be a huge loss for us. He is our superstar in white-ball cricket," Asalanka stated on Wednesday.

Asalanka also mentioned the return of Dasun Shanaka and Chamika Karunaratne to the T20I setup will bolster the team. Shanaka is expected to be a flexible batting all-rounder, likely batting at number six, while Chamika could play at number seven as a bowling all-rounder.

"We expect Dasun and Chamika to handle the all-round responsibilities. Dasun's role could be a floating one depending on the situation, while Chamika will add depth to our lower-middle order," Asalanka explained.

The captain emphasized the team's long-term objective of entering the top five in the T20I rankings, highlighting that consistency and team balance are still in progress.

"When we started, we had set a target to move up to number five in T20 rankings. It's a process, and consistency is the key. We are still working on finalising our best combination and identifying players for those crucial spots," he said.

Asalanka acknowledged Bangladesh as a competitive team with similar experience gaps and anticipated a tightly contested series.

"Bangladesh are a good T20 side, but like us, they lack experience in some areas. It's going to be a tough series. The pitch looks good for batting, and I believe we can post scores of 180-plus if we execute our plans."

Litton Das shifts his focus to T20s

Meanwhile, Bangladesh T20I captain Litton Das dismissed concerns about the recent 1-2 defeat in the ODIs, stating that each format is different and his focus is now on T20 cricket. "T20 is a different format. Tests are different. ODIs are different. We all know how to play T20 cricket, and that's what I will focus on," said Litton.

Litton admitted that his ODI performances were below par, which resulted in him being benched. However, he emphasized that he utilized that time to prepare for the T20 games and now hopes to use that preparation effectively in the upcoming matches.

"Look, I didn't play good ODI cricket, and that's why I was on the bench. During that time, I tried to practice for T20s, and I will try to use that preparation in the games," Litton said.