Pakistan T20I Tri-Series 2025: Two Sri Lankan players return home with illness

Charith Asalanka and Asitha Fernando have returned home due to illness ahead of the commencement of the Pakistan T20I tri-series involving Zimbabwe, scheduled to take place in Pakistan. With Asalanka not in the mix, Sri Lanka will be captained by Dasun Shanaka.

Sri Lanka Cricket confirmed the development on October 17. This comes after SLC had earlier issued out a strong message regarding players returning to Sri Lanka following a bomb blast in Islamabad.

“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,” stated a statement by Sri Lanka Cricket.

Pavan Rathnayake has been drafted into the 20-over setup as a replacement. Asalanka and Fernando also did not feature in the third ODI of the three-match series against Pakistan, with Kusal Mendis leading the squad in Asalanka's absence.

For the unversed, several players reportedly wanted to return home after the explosion in Islamabad. However, SLC mentioned that disciplinary action would be taken if the players pulled out due to any reason except medical one, which meant they stayed put in Pakistan.

Sri Lanka come into the tri-series on the back of a whitewash against the hosts. Barring the first match which was a close contest, the touring outfit was convincingly defeated by the Shaheen Shah Afridi-led unit. The Lankans were only able to take six wickets across the second and third matches. All the clashes took place in Rawalpindi.

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The Lankans will commence their tri-series with their match against Zimbabwe on November 20 (Thursday). All matches of the tournament will be played in Rawalpindi.