Nuwan ruled out of T20 series against India
Sri Lankan fast bowler Nuwan Thushara has broken a finger on his left hand during training and has been ruled out of at least the T20 series against India.
Confirmed that the injury is in the hand that cannot bowl. Still, this injury is so serious that he will have to be out. Halangoda said that the injury occurred late on Wednesday night, when the Sri Lankan team was training under lights. Thushara was doing fielding practice.
Nuwan Tushara He is the second Sri Lankan fast bowler to be ruled out of the series. On Wednesday itself, Sri Lanka announced that Dushmantha Chameera was ruled out due to illness and was replaced by Asitha Fernando. The name of the player who will replace Thushara has not been revealed yet, but it could be left-arm bowler Dilshan Madushanka.
T20 series against India begins
Sri Lanka has suffered a major setback with the injury of star fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera. According to reports in the Sri Lankan media on Wednesday (July 24,2024), the 32-year-old right-arm pacer, who has taken 55 wickets in as many T20Is played so far, will miss the upcoming three-match series against India due to injury.
Chameera was included in Sri Lanka’s 16-member squad announced on Tuesday. The islanders will play against India under the leadership of Charith Asalanka in Gautam Gambhir’s first series as the head coach of the Indian cricket team. Chameera was the most experienced pacer in the Sri Lankan squad and now in his absence Mathesha Pathirana and Nuwan Thushara will spearhead the fast bowling attack for the 2014 World Cup winners.
Thushara has been a part of Sri Lanka’s T20I XI consistently this year. He was one of their best bowlers in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, taking eight wickets in the three matches played by Sri Lanka. Earlier this year, he also took a T20 International hat-trick against Bangladesh, taking 5 wickets for 20 runs.
After Chameera, Tushara also ruled out of India vs Sri Lanka series
Team manager Mahinda Halangoda said that Tushara suffered a fracture in the finger of his non-bowling hand during fielding practice. He said that the injury was so severe that the bowler was ruled out of the upcoming series against India. The injury reportedly occurred when Sri Lanka was training under lights on Wednesday.
Tushara has been a vital part of the Sri Lankan team in the T20 International setup. The fast bowler has shown excellent performance for the team by taking 8 wickets in the recently concluded World Cup, in which Sri Lanka suffered an embarrassing defeat.
Sri Lanka eyes a fresh start
Sri Lanka’s performance in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 was very poor. The team was eliminated from the group stage itself. Out of the 4 matches in the group stage, Sri Lanka was able to win only one match. Sri Lanka lost the remaining 3 matches while the remaining one match was washed out due to rain.
Fast bowler Nuwan Tushara, who is known as a yorker specialist, has not been able to play in the series. He practiced breaking a finger on his left hand. He did not appear in the T20 series. Team manager Mahinda Halgoda told ESPNcricinfo that he has an injury in his left hand. Storm distribution documents do it with the hand. Despite this, the injury is so serious that he is out of the series.
Chamira last played a T20 match for Sri Lanka against Zimbabwe on January 18, 2024. He was part of the T20 World Cup 2024 squad, but did not get a chance to play in any of the four Group D matches. Sri Lanka could win only one match in the T20 World Cup 2024 under the leadership of Wanindu Hasaranga and failed to qualify for the Super 8.
Asalanka will lead Sri Lanka
Asalanka was named Sri Lanka’s T20 captain for the series against India after premier all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga stepped down from the position last month. Hasaranga was announced as Sri Lanka’s T20 captain in place of Dasun Shanaka, but he failed to live up to expectations in the T20 World Cup 2024 both as a player and captain.
Conclusion
Nuwan Thushara has been ruled out of the T20 2024 series against India after injuring his left thumb while fielding during practice on Wednesday. He has been replaced by Dilshan Madushanka in the squad.
Thushara was one of Sri Lanka’s best bowlers in the T20 World Cup 2024, taking eight wickets in three matches. He is the second Sri Lankan fast bowler to be ruled out of the series after Dushmantha Chameera, who has been ruled out due to illness. It was announced on Wednesday that Chameera will be replaced by Asitha Fernando.
