Wanindu Hasaranga Archives

SLC denies exploiting loopholes to save Hasaranga for T20 World Cup

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has denied exploiting technical loopholes to save star all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga from missing ICC T20 World Cup 2024 matches later this year.

Hasaranga on Tuesday, came out of Test retirement after the third ODI against Bangladesh and was subsequently named in the Sri Lanka squad for the Test series against the same opposition.

However, he was slapped by the International Cricket Council (ICC) with a two-match ban for breaching ICC’s Code of Conduct during the third ODI, ruling him out of the Test series, scheduled to commence on March 22.

He received a 50 per cent fine and accumulated three demerit points for his offence, which brought his total demerit points to eight in 24 months.

The all-rounder was already on five demerit points after receiving three demerit points in the third T20I against Afghanistan in Dambulla last month.

Now, with the addition of the latest demerit points, he has breached the threshold of eight demerit points, which, according to article 7.6 of the Code, have been converted into four suspension points.

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The four suspension points equate to a ban from two Tests or four ODIs or T20Is, whatever comes first.

Hasaranga was named in Sri Lanka’s Test squad after coming out of retirement. As a result, he was banned from two Test matches but would have otherwise missed four T20Is in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.

This raised eyebrows among the cricket circles about Hasaranga taking his retirement back to avoid missing games in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.

SLC clarified that the all-rounder had expressed his desire to return to Test cricket before the third ODI against Bangladesh through an email on 16 March, owing to his improved fitness.

“It was about two weeks ago that he told us he was open to playing Tests again,” Ajantha Mendis, a member of Sri Lanka’s selection committee told ESPNcricinfo.

“We know how it looks, but this decision was taken well before the final ODI.”

READ: Javeria Khan announces retirement from international cricket

Wanindu Hasaranga’s return to Test cricket hindered

DUBAI: Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga’s return to Test cricket has been hit by a roadblock as the all-rounder was slapped by the International Cricket Council (ICC) with a two-match ban.

Consequently, Hasaranga will miss the two-match Test series against Bangladesh, scheduled to commence on March 22.

Hasaranga was found guilty of breaching article 2.8 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “showing dissent at an Umpire’s decision during an International Match” during the third ODI of the recently-concluded series against Bangladesh.

The incident occurred in the 37th over of Bangladesh’s innings when Wanindu Hasaranga snatched his cap from one of the umpires and ridiculed the umpiring in the match.

He received a 50 per cent fine and accumulated three demerit points for his offence. This brought his total demerit points to eight in a 24-month period.

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The all-rounder was already on five demerit points after receiving three demerit points in the third T20I against Afghanistan in Dambulla last month. Following this, he was suspended for two T20Is against Bangladesh.

Now, with the addition of the latest demerit points, he has breached the threshold of eight demerit points, which, pursuant to article 7.6 of the Code, have been converted into four suspension points.

The four suspension points equate to a ban from two Tests or four ODIs or T20Is, whatever comes first – Hasaranga will therefore miss the two ICC World Test Championship Tests against Bangladesh.

Remember, the star all-rounder on Tuesday, came out of Test retirement and was subsequently named in the Sri Lanka squad for the Test series against Bangladesh.

Wanindu Hasaranga announced to hang up his boots from Test cricket last year after representing Sri Lanka in four Tests.

READ: Cricket Australia postpones Afghanistan series over women rights

Wanindu Hasaranga comes out of Test retirement for Bangladesh Tests

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga has come out of Test retirement and was subsequently named in the squad for the upcoming two-match series against Bangladesh.

Hasaranga, who announced to hang up his boots from Test cricket last year, has returned to the fold for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) series against Bangladesh, scheduled to commence on March 22.

The leg-spin all-rounder will link up with Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis and all-rounders Nishan Peiris and Kamindu Mendis to form a strong spin bowling for Sri Lanka.

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All-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva, who was named Sri Lanka’s Test captain earlier this year, will continue to lead the side with wicketkeeper batter Kusal Mendis as his deputy.

The two-match Test series between hosts Bangladesh and Sri Lanka begins on March 22 in Sylhet with the second Test in Chittagong from March 30.

It is pertinent to mention that the two sides engaged in a three-match each T20I and ODI series.

The visitors sealed the T20I series 2-1 while the ODI series was won by the hosts.

Sri Lanka Test squad: Dhananjaya De Silva (c), Kusal Mendis, Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kamindu Mendis, Lahiru Udara, Wanindu Hasaranga, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Nishan Peiris, Kasun Rajitha, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Chamika Gunasekara.

Bangladesh squad for first Test: Najmul Hossain Shanto (Captain), Zakir Hasan, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shadman Islam, Litton Kumer Das, Mominul Haque Showrab, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shahadat Hossain Dipu, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nayeem Hasan, Taijul Islam, Shoriful Islam, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Mushfik Hasan, Nahid Rana.

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Wanindu Hasaranga blasts umpire over no-ball decision

Sri Lanka’s T20I captain Wanindu Hasaranga has voiced strong criticism against umpire Lyndon Hannibal after he did not rule a no-ball during the third T20I against Afghanistan.

During the final T20I of the three-match, Afghanistan defeated Sri Lanka by a narrow three-run margin in a last-over thriller

Needing 19 runs from the last over, Sri Lankan batter Kamindu Mendis scored two fours in the first three balls of Wafadar Momand.

The next ball went above the waist height of the batter, who had shuffled down the pitch, but the umpire did not rule it a no-ball, resulting in the Sri Lankan captain’s blasting remarks after the match.

“That kind of thing shouldn’t happen in an international match,” Wanindu Hasaranga said.

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“If it had been close [to waist height], that’s not a problem. But a ball that’s going so high… it would have hit the batsman’s head if it had gone a little higher.

“If you can’t see that, that umpire isn’t suited to international cricket. It would be much better if he did another job.”

Mendis asked the umpire to check the no-ball, however, according to ICC playing conditions players can only ask the umpire to review a decision in case of a dismissal.

A dot and wide ball followed the last ball six from Mendis, which was not enough as they required 10 to win.

Despite the loss, Sri Lanka won the series 2-1 after winning the first two games by margins of four and 72 runs respectively.

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Hasaranga claims Sri Lanka has ‘one of the best bowling’ attacks in world

Sri Lanka’s T20I captain Wanindu Hasaranga has claimed that his side possesses ‘one of the best bowling outfits’ in the world.

While talking to the media ahead of the first T20I against Afghanistan today, Hasaranga showed faith in his bowlers, who according to him make the best bowling attack in T20I cricket.

“If you look at world cricket, we’re one of the best teams in terms of bowling outfits,” said the star all-rounder. “If you look at the rankings, myself and Maheesh [Theekshana] are in the top 10.”

The Sri Lankan captain then praised his country’s pace attack and expressed the belief that they can win matches for the team.

“Dushmantha Chameera was unlucky with his injury, otherwise he’d also be here. But in his place we have Binura [Fernando] who has come in, and there’s also Matheesha [Pathirana] and Nuwan Thushara. We know how good those two are. Dilshan Madushanka is also there.

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“In terms of bowlers we have quite a few options, so when we come to playing on good tracks – especially T20s – we need to see exactly how to bowl. We’ve bowled on good wickets before, so I think in T20s it’s from the bowlers that you’re going to win matches.

Hasaranga also asserted that the series against Afghanistan will help them find the best combination for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA).

He also stated that his side would be well-prepared for the mega-event, considering the fact that the conditions in the Caribbean are similar to Sri Lanka.

“The types of wickets we’re going to play on at the World Cup, there’s a good chance we’ll play on similar wickets during these next six games.

“With that, we’ll be aiming to figure out how we can win a game with our combination of bowlers.”

READ: Marcus Stoinis ruled out of New Zealand T20Is

Quetta Gladiators share update on Hasaranga’s availability in PSL 9

Quetta Gladiators shared an update about the availability of Sri Lanka’s star all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 9.

Quetta Gladiators’ head of player acquisition, Nabeel Hashmi, while answering a question on his X (formerly Twitter) account clarified that Hasaranga is yet to receive a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for PSL 9.

Hasaranga was set to feature in five matches for Quetta Gladiators this season after being retained in the Platinum category, however, it was reduced to three matches due to the ongoing series between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.

Hasaranga was supposed to play first 5 matches.
Scheduling of AFG v SL series meant he would miss first 2 matches & his availability curtailed to 3 matches.
But even that is looking unlikely now as we continue to wait on his NOC.

We signed Akeal Hosein for that very reason 😊 https://t.co/1IxvlibV6w

— Nabeel Hashmi (@iNabeelHashmi) February 16, 2024

Meanwhile, Hashmi also shed light on the players who are confirmed for the first match against Peshawar Zalmi on February 18.

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Gladiators’ newly appointed captain Rilee Rossouw along with Jason Roy, Sherfane Rutherford, Laurie Evans, Akeal Hosein and Will Smeed will be available for selection during their opening game.

Rilee Rossouw
Jason Roy
Sherfane Rutherford
Laurie Evans
Akeal Hosein
Will Smeed

All will be available for selection against Peshawar Zalmi on 18th 😊 https://t.co/8PJchCoF8C

— Nabeel Hashmi (@iNabeelHashmi) February 16, 2024

The marquee event will be played in four cities – Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi – with the final of the six-team tournament taking place at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi on 18 March.

Over the course of the 34-match tournament, Karachi will host 11 matches, including the Qualifier, two Eliminators and the final.

Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium and Rawalpindi’s Pindi Cricket Stadium will each host nine matches, while fans in Multan, the city of saints, will witness five matches.

Quetta Gladiators squad for PSL 9:

Sherfane Rutherford, Mohammad Amir, Rilee Rossouw, Mohammad Wasim Junior, Jason Roy, Wanindu Hasaranga, Mohammad Hasnain, Abrar Ahmed, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Sajjad Ali Junior, Usman Qadir, Omair Bin Yousuf, Will Smeed, Khawaja Nafay, Adil Naz, Akeal Hosain, and Sohail Khan.

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Sri Lanka Cricket name new white-ball captains for Zimbabwe series

COLOMBO: The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) on Saturday, named wicketkeeper batter Kusal Mendis and star all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga as the ODI and T20I captains respectively for the home white-ball series against Zimbabwe.

Sri Lanka are scheduled to take Zimbabwe in a three-match each ODI and T20I series in January at the Rana Premadarsa Stadium.

The three-match series will kick start Sri Lanka’s preparations for this year’s T20 World Cup, scheduled to be co-hosted by the United States of America (USA) and the West Indies.

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The SLC further revealed that their selection committee, led by former cricket Upul Tharanga finalized preliminary ODI and T20I squads for the home series against Zimbabwe.

The final squads for both ODIs and T20Is will be selected from the preliminary list in due course.
Preliminary ODI squad: Kusal Mendis (c), Charith Asalanka (vc), Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Sahan Arachchige, Nuwanidu Fernando, Dasun Shanaka, Kamindu Mendis, Chamika Karunaratne, Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushmantha Chameera, Dunith Wellalage, Pramod Madushan, Asitha Fernando, Akila Dananjaya, Jeffrey Vandersay, Chamika Gunasekera.

Preliminary T20I squad: Wanindu Hasaranga (c), Charith Asalanka (vc), Pathum Nissanaka, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dasun Shanaka, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Kusal Janith Perera, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Kamindu Mendis, Dunith Wellalage, Akila Dananjaya, Jeffrey Vandersay, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka, Binura Fernando, Nuwan Thushara, Pramod Madushan, Matheesha Pathirana.

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Hasaranga, Chameera likely to miss ICC World Cup 2023

Sri Lankan star all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga and fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera are likely to miss the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023 in India, commencing on October 5.

Wanindu Hasaranga suffered a hamstring injury during the Eliminator game between B-Love Kandy and Jaffna Kings in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) last month.

He was then ruled out of the Asia Cup 2023, and now may require surgery, after aggravating his hamstring tear during rehab over the past few days.

The chairman of Sri Lanka’s medical committee, Arjuna de Silva, hinted that it is highly unlikely for Hasaranga to participate in the ICC World Cup 2023.

“He picked up a grade 2 tear in the LPL, but he re-aggravated it during rehab. It’s now a grade 3 tear. What also complicates the matter is that it is also a T-junction hamstring injury,” said Arjuna de Silva.

“We are consulting foreign doctors to see whether he needs surgery or not. If he does, he will be out for at least three months. At the moment, the situation is not that great and it’s highly unlikely if he can play the World Cup,” he further added.

Meanwhile, Dushmantha Chameera is still currently undergoing rehabilitation for his pectoral muscle injury, even though, he has started to bowl in the nets but is unable to bowl without discomfort.

“Chameera is bowling at the moment but still complains of pain. We have consulted a doctor in the United Kingdom to see how best we could treat him,” Arjuna de Silva said.

Chameera suffered an injury during the World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe and was subsequently ruled out of the tournament, before getting injured against in the LPL, where he was representing Hasaranga-led B-Love Kandy. Subsequently, he was ruled out of the remaining matches of LPL as well as Asia Cup 2023.

However, spin bowler Maheesh Theekshana, who suffered a hamstring injury during Asia Cup 2023 and missed the final against India, is currently undergoing rehab and is expected to be fit in time for the World Cup 2023.

Sri Lanka is set to depart for India on September 26 to participate in the World Cup, however, they are yet to announce their squad.

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Major blow to Sri Lanka as Hasaranga, Chameera ruled out of Asia Cup

Sri Lanka suffered a double blow ahead of their Asia Cup defence as star all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga and fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera were ruled out of the tournament commencing next week in Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Wanindu Hasaranga suffered a hamstring injury during the Eliminator game between B-Love Kandy and Jaffna Kings in the recently concluded Lanka Premier League (LPL).

He was captaining B-Love Kandy and did not let the injury slow him down as he powered his team to the final virtually on one leg with his all-around performance. However, he missed the final, where his team thrashed Dambulla Aura to win the coveted LPL trophy.

Hasaranga was adjudged player of the tournament for his all-round performance throughout the tournament, as he topped the leading run scorer as well as the leading wicket-takers chart. He scored 279 runs and picked up 19 wickets.

Meanwhile, fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera has once again been ruled out of a major event as failed to recover from his shoulder injury, which he suffered during LPL, playing for B-Love Kandy. He only managed to play in four games for his side during the tournament.

Previously, he suffered an injury during the World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe and was subsequently ruled out of the tournament. He also missed Sri Lanka’s Asia Cup triumph and a few games of the T20I World Cup last year.

Notably, he was adjudged player of the series in Sri Lanka’s ODI series against Afghanistan in June this year.

Dushmantha Chameera is likely to be replaced by Kasun Rajitha, while leg-spinner Dushan Hemantha is expected to fill in the shoes of Wanindu Hasaranga.

Sri Lanka will kick off their Asia Cup campaign on August 31 against Bangladesh.

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All-round Hasaranga powers B-Love Kandy into LPL final at Titans’ disposal

COLOMBO: Wanindu Hasaranga paired up his 48-run knock with two wickets and muscled B-Love Kandy into the Lanka Premier League (LPL) final with a convincing 34-run victory over Galle Titans in the Qualifier 2 on Friday.

Opting to bat first, B-Love Kandy posted a decent total of 157/7 on the board, courtesy of a match-saving 48-run knock by skipper Hasaranga.

B-Love Kandy got off to a poor start to their innings as they were reduced to 20/3 inside five overs.

Following the slump, Hasaranga joined experienced Dinesh Chandimal at the crease and launched a counterattack with clean hitting.

The pair pulled B-Love Kandy out of trouble, adding 72 runs for the fourth wicket at a brisk rate before Hasaranga faltered and fell just two shy of his half-century.

The all-rounder smashed three boundaries and four sixes on his way to a 30-ball 48.

Chandimal soon followed Hasaranga back to the pavilion after stitching a brief 13-run partnership with Angelo Mathews.

Chandimal scored 38 from 37 deliveries, laced up with three boundaries and a six.

Following his dismissal, Mathews and Chaturanga de Silva added valuable runs at the death and bolstered the team’s total.

Mathews scored 24 off 17 before getting run out in the final over while de Silva played a brisk 15-run cameo in just six deliveries.

Kumara and Sonal Dinusha bagged two wickets each for Galle Titans while Kasun Rajitha and Shakib Al Hasan made one scalp each.

Set to chase 158, Galle Titans’ batting lineup failed and could only raise 123/8 in the allotted overs.

Their openers Litton Das and Lasith Croospulle provided a flying start as they had piled up 37 runs in the first four overs.

Chaturanga de Silva provided a much-needed breakthrough to B-Love Kandy as he dismissed Das in the fifth over, who scored 25 off 19 deliveries.

Galle Titans then lost two wickets — Lasith Croospulle (14) and Sohan de Livera (1) — in quick successions and thus were slipped to 45/3 in the seventh over.

Shakib Al Hasan and Sonal Dinusha then attempted to anchor the run chase as they put on a brief 28-run partnership before the former perished in the 12th over, scoring 17 off 15.

Galle Titans then lost wickets at regular intervals which halted the flow of runs and they were consequently restricted to 123/8 in 20 overs.

Dinusha top-scored for the Titans with a cautious 32-ball 28, hitting a six.

Wanindu Hasaranga-led B-Love Kandy will now take on table-toppers Dambulla Aura in the LPL 2023 final, scheduled on Sunday.

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