Setback for Sri Lanka as Chameera could miss entire Asia Cup

Colombo: In what could be a huge blow to Sri Lanka ahead of their Asia Cup 2023 matches, as they will be without their star bowler Dushmantha Chameera for the entirety of the Asia Cup, and seem doubtful to have all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga in their XI for the initial stage either, ESPNcricinfo reported.

Kusal Perera and Avishka Fernando, who were most likely to be selected for the Asia Cup team, have tested positive for COVID-19 and are currently being monitored. Their acceptance is contingent on how quickly they recover.

While recuperating from an ankle operation, Chameera sustained a shoulder injury during the most recent Lanka Premier League (LPL). Although he did not participate in any official games in the ODI World Cup qualifier because of an injury sustained during the tournament's warm-ups, he last played an ODI on June 7 against Afghanistan, taking 4 for 63.

As per ESPNcricinfo, Chameera is likely to be ruled out of the Asia Cup, though the board is waiting on further reports to confirm this. Due to a thigh strain, Hasaranga missed the LPL final. Hasaranga's management believes that he won't be ready for Sri Lanka's games against Bangladesh and Afghanistan (in the Asia Cup group stage). Furthermore, Hasaranga's availability will depend on whether he can participate without running the risk of suffering additional injuries if Sri Lanka advances past the group stage.

Hasaranga won't play in top-flight cricket again until after the World Cup because Sri Lanka wants him to be available for it. This is also true of Chameera, who, when healthy, is Sri Lanka's preferred pace spearhead.

Fernando has not played an ODI since January, mostly due to injury while Perera has not played an ODI since 2021, due to both injury and modest form.

Hasaranga's return to first-class cricket will be cautious because Sri Lanka wants him to be available for the World Cup. This is also true of Chameera, Sri Lanka's go-to pace spearhead when healthy.

Hasaranga's injury is a particularly severe setback to Sri Lanka's chances of winning the Asia Cup. He topped the statistics for both runs scored and wickets taken throughout the LPL. While Chameera has frequently been replaced by Dilshan Madushanka, Kasun Rajitha, and Asitha Fernando, Sri Lanka has managed its attack without him, but they lack a tried-and-true Hasaranga substitute.

The 2023 Asia Cup will be co-hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka with the tournament running from August 30 to September 17. Sri Lanka will begin their Asia Cup campaign against Bangladesh on August 31.