Chameera out, Nissanka doubtful for Bangladesh tour
Injured Sri Lankan seamer Dushmantha Chameera will miss out Sri Lanka’s white-ball series against Bangladesh starting early next month as cricket selectors have opted for unchanged squads for the two white-ball series. According to Ashley de Silva, the CEO of Sri Lanka Cricket, Chameera will be out of action for at least four weeks.
Sri Lanka will tour Bangladesh later this week to play three T20Is, as many ODIs, and two Tests, starting March 4. The series will begin with the T20 series, followed by the ODIs and the two-match Tests series.
However, Chameera, who limped off midway through his eighth over during Sri Lanka’s 42-run victory in the first ODI with a quadriceps injury, will miss the series in its entirety.
Chameera had missed a chunk of Sri Lanka’s games with a torn pectoral muscle last year, and prior to that, he had undergone surgery for an ankle injury during the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2023. He also missed the World Cup Qualifiers last year and was recalled to the World Cup side midway through the tournament as an injury replacement. Considered Sri Lanka’s firstchoice seamer in white-ball cricket, his career has suffered a major setback due to injuries.
This week Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) named Chameera as a replacement for England pacer Gus Atkinson for the upcoming edition of the Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. In Chameera’s absence, Asitha Fernando will travel with the team. Asitha who replaced Chameera in the ODI squad against Afghanistan has retained his place. Meanwhile, the selectors hope Pathum Nissanka, who retired hurt after hitting a blazing half-century in the final T20 international against Afghanistan, will be ready in time for the Bangladesh tour.
Nissanka entertained the home crowd with a superb half-century, an unbeaten 60 off 30 balls when he decided to retire hurt due to a hamstring injury. Team sources said Sri Lanka will hold two training sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday and will assess Nissanka’s fitness to join the traveling squad.