Two senior players of the Sri Lankan cricket team, including skipper Charith Asalanka, currently touring Pakistan for a T20 tri-series will be returning home due to illness, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said on Monday.
SLC said in a statement that Dasun Shanaka had been appointed captain for the tri-series, also involving the hosts and Zimbabwe, while fast bowler Asitha Fernando had been replaced by Pavan Rathnayake.
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"Two Players Returning Home: Captain Charith Asalanka and fast bowler Asitha Fernando, both suffering from illness, will return home. The two players will not take part in the upcoming tri-series featuring Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe," wrote SLC on 'X'.
The board did not elaborate on the nature of the illness. However, on social media fans are blaming the dinner party hosted at Shaheen Shah Afridi's house as the reason behind the Lanka players' illness.
The pacer hosted the party in Islamabad, which is only a few kilometres away from Rawalpindi—the place where Pakistan’s third ODI against Sri Lanka and the tri-nation T20I series were being played.
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SLC added that the two had been called back so that they could receive proper medical care ahead of the busy season. "This precautionary decision ensures they receive proper care and sufficient time to recover ahead of future assignments."
"Dasun Shanaka to Captain With Asalanka unavailable. Pavan Rathnayake has been added to the T20I squad as a replacement," it added.
Several players of the Sri Lankan team wanted to return home due to security concerns following a deadly suicide attack in Islamabad recently but the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi assured them of watertight security, following which the visitors decided to stay.
Pakistan and Sri Lanka were to clash in the second ODI of the three-match series in Rawalpindi on November 13 but that game has been postponed to November 14, while the third match was rescheduled from November 15 to 16 at the same venue.
The PCB also rescheduled the T20I tri-series opener between Pakistan and Zimbabwe from November 17 to 18 besides making Rawalpindi the sole venue for the tournament amid security concerns.
The second game of the seven-match rubber was also postponed by a day to November 20.
Before the rescheduling, Lahore was to host five games of the tri-series event, including the final on November 29 but the three boards agreed to hold the proceedings exclusively in Rawalpindi.
The government also handed over the security of the Sri Lankan team to the Pakistan military forces after they agreed to continue the tour on the intervention of Army chief Asim Munir after a serial bomb blasts rocked Islamabad, killing 12 people and injuring dozens. (With PTI inputs)
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