Upul Tharanga confirms the worst news for Sri Lanka; announces Dushmantha Chameera will miss the ODI series too

The Sri Lankan national cricket team suffered a significant setback before the start of the white-ball series against the Indian national cricket team at home. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has confirmed that fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera will miss the three-match T20I series against India, starting on Saturday, July 27.

Sri Lanka will host three T20I matches against India at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. The first match will be played on July 27, with the remaining games scheduled for July 28 and July 30, respectively. After the T20I series, the two teams will face off in a three-match ODI series from August 2 to August 7.

Wanindu Hasaranga and Chris Silverwood resigned from their captaincy and coaching roles following the recent ICC T20 World Cup 2024, where the Sri Lanka team was knocked out in the group stage. Charith Asalanka has been appointed as the new T20I captain, with Sanath Jayasuriya serving as interim head coach.

Dushmantha Chameera Is Still Recovering - Sri Lanka Cricket

Sri Lanka Cricket revealed that Dushmantha Chameera will miss the T20I series against India as he is still recovering from bronchitis and a respiratory infection. Chameera also missed the second half of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) for the same reason.

"Dushmantha Chameera is still recovering from a bronchitis and respiratory infection he contracted, and hence will not be part of the T20I series. Asitha Fernando joins the squad in place of Chameera," Sri Lanka Cricket wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).

🚨 Dushmantha Chameera is still recovering from a bronchitis and respiratory infection he contracted, and hence will not be part of the T20I series.

Asitha Fernando joins the squad in place of Chameera. #<!---->S<!---->L<!---->v<!---->I<!---->N<!---->D p<!---->i<!---->c<!---->.<!---->t<!---->w<!---->i<!---->t<!---->t<!---->e<!---->r<!---->.<!---->c<!---->o<!---->m<!---->/<!---->U<!---->8<!---->K<!---->P<!---->E<!---->f<!---->n<!---->2<!---->T<!---->K

— Sri Lanka Cricket 🇱🇰 (@OfficialSLC) J<!---->u<!---->l<!---->y<!----> <!---->2<!---->4<!---->,<!----> <!---->2<!---->0<!---->2<!---->4

Asitha Fernando has been named as Dushmantha Chameera's replacement in the Sri Lanka squad. Sri Lanka's chief selector, Upul Tharanga, confirmed that Chameera will miss both the T20I and ODI series against India.

"Yesterday we got the reports, and it can be confirmed that he will miss the T20Is and ODIs against India," Tharanga said during a press briefing in which newly-appointed interim head coach Sanath Jayasuriya was also present.

Chameera has struggled with injuries over the past few years. He missed major tournaments like the 2022 Asia Cup, the T20 World Cup in Australia, and the 2023 Asia Cup due to various injuries. The right-arm fast bowler was added as a replacement for the injured Matheesha Pathirana in the ODI World Cup 2023.

Earlier this year, Chameera didn't play for Sri Lanka in a home series against Afghanistan and Bangladesh due to a quadriceps injury. He was included in the squad for the T20 World Cup 2024. However, he did not play any matches in the tournament as Nuwan Thushara and Matheesha Pathirana were preferred.

The 32-year-old bowler played five matches for the Kandy Falcons in the 2024 Lanka Premier League before being ruled out of the tournament. He was last seen in action during the match against eventual champions, Jaffna Kings. Chameera picked up two wickets for 44 runs in his last match in competitive cricket.

Also read: 'Loss to Indian team' - Sanath Jayasuriya's Sri Lanka plans to exploit Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja’s absence