Nuwan Thushara, the ace Sri Lankan fast bowler has been ruled out of the upcoming three-match T20I series against India due to a broken finger. Sri Lanka is to play 3 T20Is and 3 ODIs against India in July-August this year.
The three-match T20I series between Sri Lanka and India is set to begin on July 27 with the second match to be played on July 28 and the final match on July 30. All three matches will be played at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy.
Then the caravan will move to the R Premadasa Cricket stadium in Colombo, where India and Sri Lanka will clash in three ODIs. The first ODI will be played on August 2nd, the second ODI on August 4th, and the third and final match on August 7th.
However, before the T20I series commenced, Sri Lanka was dealt a huge blow as pacer Nuwan Thushara, famous for his clingy bowling action like Lasith Malinga, was ruled out of the T20Is due to a broken finger.
Team manager Mahinda Halangoda verified to ESPNcricinfo that the injury occurred on the non-bowling hand. Nonetheless, the situation is bad enough to rule him out. Halangoda said the accident happened late on Wednesday when Sri Lanka was training under lights.
Nuwan Thushara had been fielding practice. Thushara’s replacement has been named and it will be left-armer Dilshan Madushanka.
Thushara has been a consistent member of Sri Lanka’s T20I XI this year. He was one of Sri Lanka’s top bowlers during the T20 World Cup, claiming eight wickets in three matches. Earlier this year, he took a hat-trick in a T20I against Bangladesh, finishing with 5 for 20.
Nuwan Thushara second premier Sri Lankan pacer to be injured after Dushmantha Chameera
Nuwan Thushara becomes the second big-name pacer from Sri Lanka to be ruled out of the India series, as before him, Dushmantha Chameera was also sidelined from the entire series. Chameera played for Kandy Falcons in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) earlier this month, though he wasn’t picked in the side towards the end of the tournament.
Chameera was diagnosed with bronchitis and a respiratory infection and will miss both the T20Is and ODIs against India.
“Only yesterday did we get back the reports, and it can be confirmed that he will miss the T20Is and ODIs against India,” Sri Lanka’s chief selector Upul Tharanga said at a briefing.
Meanwhile, Tharanga revealed that Chameera has been replaced in the Sri Lanka squad by Asitha Fernando for the India series.
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