Sri Lanka have been dealt a huge blow as star all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga has been ruled out for the remainder of the T20 World Cup 2026 due to the hamstring injury he sustained during his team's tournament opener against Ireland, ESPNCricinfo reported.
Hasaranga will now be out of the tournament after an MRI scan revealed a severe tear in his left hamstring. The report for his MRI was seen by a specialist in the UK before, the report added. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka are likely to replace him with Dushan Hemantha for the tournament.
Hasaranga battled his hamstring but starred with the ball as he picked up three wickets in his four overs for 25 runs in Sri Lanka's close 20-run win over the Irish side. Hasaranga was battling with hamstring issues right after bowling his second ball of the match, and his follow-through was hampered due to his issue.
However, he left a huge impact and was a cornerstone in Sri Lanka, making Ireland collapse in the last few overs of the 164-run chase. He removed the likes of Ross Adair, Harry Tector and Curtis Campher as he put up a stellar performance with the ball.
With his efforts, the wily spinner has surpassed Pakistan's iconic all-rounder Shahid Afridi in the list for most wickets taken in T20 World Cups. Coming into the tournament, Hasaranga had 37 wickets to his name and was behind the likes of Afridi, Lasith Malinga and Rashid Khan, but surpassed all of them in one go with his three-wicket haul. The all-rounder is now only behind Shakib Al Hasan.
More to follow...
