Asia Cup: Setback for Sri Lanka as 4 key players possibly out with injuries, COVID

Sri Lanka on Friday suffered a major setback just days ahead of the Asia Cup 2023 as four of their cricketers, including pacer Dushamantha Chameera and leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, were rendered doubtful for the upcoming tournament because of injuries and COVID-19.

Chameera could be ruled out of the Asia Cup because of a shoulder injury that he suffered during the recent Lanka Premier League (LPL) while leading spinner Hasaranga, who picked up a thigh injury ahead of the LPL final, could miss at least two matches, ESPNCricinfo reported.

Sri Lanka will begin their Asia Cup campaign with a match against Bangladesh on August 31 at Pallekele.

Adding to Sri Lanka’s woes, batters Kusal Perera and Avishka Fernando have been tested positive for COVID-19. Both Perera and Fernando are currently under observation and their inclusion in the squad will depend on the speed of their recovery.

The Sri Lankan team management said the duo contracted COVID-19 during the latter stages of the LPL 2023. They will have to return a negative test result to get included in the squad for the Asia Cup.

This year’s Asia Cup will be the 16th edition of the tournament, with matches to be played as One Day Internationals (ODIs). It will be jointly hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Six teams will take part.

Originally, the tournament was scheduled to take place in 2021, but it was postponed to 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For fans across the country, Ariana Television (ATN) will broadcast all the matches live each day starting at 1:30 pm on Wednesday August 30. Live matches will be broadcast daily through to the final, which will take place in Colombo on September 17.

Six teams will take part in this year’s tournament – three teams in two groups. India, Nepal, and Pakistan are in Group A; while Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are in Group B.

Afghanistan’s first match in the Group Stage will be on September 3 in Lahore, Pakistan, against Bangladesh. The team will then play Sri Lanka, also in Lahore, on September 5.

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