Dushan Hemantha announced as Wanindu’s replacement

2026-02-11 - 03:09

Legspinner Dushan Hemantha has been approved by the Event Technical Committee (ETC) of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 as the replacement for Sri Lanka allrounder Wanindu Hasaranga. Wanindu was ruled out of the 2026 T20 World Cup with a hamstring injury he suffered during their opening game against Ireland in Colombo on Sunday. An MRI scan on Monday that revealed a serious tear in his left hamstring. The report was seen by a specialist in the UK before he was ruled out on Tuesday. Hemantha has played three T20Is, and has taken four wickets in those matches, with an economy rate of 7.85. Hasaranga’s loss is undoubtedly a substantial blow to Sri Lanka’s campaign as he is the team’s most accomplished bowler in this format. The replacement of a player requires the approval of the ETC before the player can be officially added to the squad. The ETC of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 consists of Wasim Khan – ICC General Manager – Cricket (ICC Representative), Gaurav Saxena (IBC Representative), Hemang Amin (Host Representative), Shaun Pollock (Independent Representative). Sri Lanka’s second group game is against Oman on February 12 in Pallekele, followed by Australia on February 16 in Pallekele, and finally Zimbabwe in Colombo (RPS) on February 19.