Hasaranga and Chameera ruled out of 2023 Asia Cup due to injuries; Kusal Perara and Avishka Fernando test positive for COVID-19 - Reports

In a devastating blow for Sri Lanka right before the 2023 Asia Cup campaign, Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmanta Chameera have been ruled out due to injuries, confirmed by a report from PTI.

Both star players were last seen during the recently held Lanka Premier League (LPL), but their injuries hampered their season to a certain extent.

Hasaranga led B-Love Kandy to the title, but his scintiallting campaign ended after the Eliminator contest due to a hamstring injury. He played with the injury against the Dambulla Aura in the contest, and proceeded to miss the final. The spinner was adjudged as the player of the tournament after ending up as the leading run-scorer as well as the highest wicket-taker. He also recently announced hs retirement from Test cricket to prolong his white-ball career.

The pairing of Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana has fared well for Sri Lanka in recent times, and the combination was supposed to be one of their biggest strengths on home soil. In the absence of Hasaranga, the team are likely to call-up right-arm leg-spinner Dushan Hemantha.

The 29-year-old had made his debut during the ODI series against Afghanistan in June. He has taken two wickets in two appearances at an average of 49.50 and an economy of 5.21.

On the other hand, Dushmanta Chameera's miserable stint with injuries continue. The right-arm pacer's woes date back to the T20 World Cup 2022, where he sustained a calf tear. Since then, he has only played in the ODI series against Afghanistan in June for Sri Lanka. Apart from that, he played in the warm-up matches during the ICC ODI World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe and a handful of matches in the LPL.

Chameera has suffered a shoulder injury and is likely to be replaced by Kasun Rajitha in Sri Lanka's Asia Cup squad.

Kusal Perera and Avishka Fernando test positive for COVID-19 days before Asia Cup's commencement

To make matters worse for the defending champions, batters Kusal Perera and Avishka Fernando have tested positive for COVID-19. The same report statest that the pair are currently under observation. Their inclusion in the final squad will depend upon their recovery in the coming days. The management have stated that they contracted COVID-19 during the LPL season.

Sri Lanka are yet to officially announce their squad for the Asia Cup, with the likes of India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh having named their teams over the course of the last couple of weeks.

Sri Lanka are set to begin their Asia Cup campaign with a contest against Bangladesh on August 31.