Sri Lanka captain exits Pakistan after bomb blast, Dasun Shanaka named skipper for tri-series

On Monday, November 17, the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) officially confirmed that their white-ball captain Charith Asalanka will leave Pakistan and return home very soon.

SLC stated that Charith Asalanka would not be available for the upcoming T20I tri-nation series in Pakistan and would be replaced by Dasun Shanaka as the captain.

Charith Asalanka and Asitha Fernando ruled out of the Pakistan tour

Sri Lanka were recently involved in a three-match ODI series against Pakistan. They delivered a poor performance across all three matches on the tour and suffered a humiliating 0-3 whitewash at the hands of the hosts.

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After the first match of the series, panic hit the Sri Lankan team, and they were reminded of the 2009 attacks in Lahore. Notably, a suicide bombing incident happened in Islamabad, which left the Sri Lankan players extremely terrified, and they were asked to leave the nation instantly.

However, SLC put pressure on the cricketers to continue the tour and even threatened players and support staff with "a formal review" if they left the tour over security concerns. In the end, the Lankan cricketers agreed to continue, but not without additional security.

Illness and injury issues also hit the Sri Lankan camp as several players went down with sickness ahead of the third ODI, including skipper Charith Asalanka, who didn't feature in the last game.

Now, Asalanka has been ruled out of the entire T20I tri-nation series in Pakistan along with Asitha Fernando, as the duo are seriously sick.

This precautionary decision ensures they receive proper care - Sri Lanka Cricket

Sharing an official statement on X, SLC stated that Charith Asalanka and Asitha Fernando will return home as a precautionary measure to ensure that the duo receive proper care and sufficient time to recover.

They announced Dasun Shanaka as the captain for the upcoming T20I tri-nation series and added Pavan Rathnayake to the squad.

"Sri Lanka Tour of Pakistan 2025 #PAKvSL. Two Players Returning Home Captain Charith Asalanka and fast bowler Asitha Fernando, both suffering from illness, will return home. The two players will not take part in the upcoming tri-series featuring Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe.

"This precautionary decision ensures they receive proper care and sufficient time to recover ahead of future assignments. Dasun Shanaka to Captain. With Asalanka unavailable, Dasun Shanaka will lead Sri Lanka during the tri-series. Pavan Rathnayake has been added to the T20I squad as a replacement," SLC added.

Sri Lanka Tour of Pakistan 2025 #PAKvSL
▫️ Two Players Returning Home
Captain Charith Asalanka and fast bowler Asitha Fernando, both suffering from illness, will return home.
The two players will not take part in the upcoming tri-series featuring Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and… pic.twitter.com/71Z3RVQPQW

— Sri Lanka Cricket 🇱🇰 (@OfficialSLC) November 17, 2025

So, we will try to improve on that going forward - Kusal Mendis

Kusal Mendis, who was leading the team in the third ODI, said after the whitewash that they would try to make improvements going forward. He elaborated:

"5 top batters got starts, but they did not continue well and build on it. So, we will try to improve on that going forward. Vandersay played really well and bowled really well and I am very happy for him.

"He is playing for Sri Lanka after a long time. In T20s there will be few players coming in who are in good form. It is very cold here and looking forward to the T20 series."

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