Tragic Loss for Sri Lankan Cricketer Dunith Wellalage Amid Asia Cup Victory
Dunith Wellalage Faces Personal Tragedy
Colombo [Sri Lanka], September 19: Dunith Wellalage, a promising all-rounder for Sri Lanka, experienced a heartbreaking loss on September 18, the same day he participated in the Asia Cup Group B match against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi. His father, Suranga Wellalage, passed away, and Dunith learned of this devastating news only after the game concluded.
Despite the emotional turmoil, Sri Lanka secured a six-wicket victory, allowing them to progress to the Super Four stage without a loss. Following the match, Wellalage promptly returned home, as reported by a sports news outlet.
In the match, Wellalage struggled with his bowling, finishing with figures of 1/49 in four overs, including conceding five sixes to Mohammed Nabi, who scored a total of 32 runs in his final over.
His participation in the upcoming matches against Bangladesh on September 20, Pakistan on September 23, and India on September 26 remains uncertain.
This match marked Wellalage's fifth T20I appearance and his first in this tournament. He has previously played 31 ODIs, achieving two five-wicket hauls against India, including one during the 2023 Asia Cup ODI edition, where he took 10 wickets at an impressive average of 17.90.
Overall, he has claimed 39 wickets in ODIs and seven in T20Is, contributing significantly with the bat as well, amassing 386 runs in 24 innings at an average of 20.31, including one half-century.
In the match against Afghanistan, after they opted to bat first, Thusara's exceptional bowling (4/18) left the Afghan team struggling at 40/3. Despite some resistance from Ibrahim Zadran (24 runs off 27 balls) and captain Rashid Khan (24 runs off 23 balls), Afghanistan found themselves at 114/7 in 17.1 overs. A late surge from Mohammed Nabi, who scored an explosive 60* off just 22 balls, propelled Afghanistan to a total of 169/7.
During Sri Lanka's chase, they faced early setbacks, losing the in-form Pathum Nissanka. However, Kusal Mendis's remarkable innings of 74* off 52 balls, supported by Kamindu Mendis's quickfire 26* off 13 balls, led Sri Lanka to a comfortable victory with eight balls remaining.