Sri Lanka booked their place in the Super Four on Thursday, yet celebrations remained muted. Dunith Wellalage only discovered after the six-wicket win over Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi that his father, Suranga, had passed away earlier in the day. The 22-year-old all-rounder left the ground almost straight after shaking hands and has since flown home.
“We’ve given Dunith all the time he needs,” a Sri Lanka Cricket spokesperson said. “Family comes first.” Head coach Chris Silverwood added: “Everyone’s thoughts are with him. Whether he returns for the next phase is entirely his call.”
Sri Lanka’s schedule, already tight, now looks trickier. They are due to meet Bangladesh on 20 September, Pakistan on the 23rd and India on the 26th. Without Wellalage, the attack loses a left-arm spinner who can also shore up the lower order – not a luxury the side enjoys often.
Thursday’s outing was Wellalage’s first T20I of this Asia Cup and only his fifth overall, yet his white-ball pedigree is clear enough. He grabbed a career-best 5-for-27 against India in Colombo last August and another five-wicket haul in the previous year’s Asia Cup (then an ODI event). Those 10 wickets, taken at 17.90, placed him joint-second on the tournament charts.
Former selector Pramodya Wickramasinghe offered a measured view. “He’s still very new, but he already gives the team variety. You can’t replace his angles easily,” he told local radio. Analyst Estelle Vasudevan agreed, noting that Sri Lanka may now lean harder on part-time spin from Charith Asalanka or Dhananjaya de Silva.
On the batting front, adaptability rather than flair has been Wellalage’s calling card, though his unbeaten 30-odd against South Africa last winter reminded everyone he can finish an innings. Whether that skill will be available in the coming week is uncertain and, frankly, secondary at present.
For the moment, Sri Lanka’s dressing‐room focus is straightforward: keep training, keep plans flexible, and wait for their team-mate to decide what is best for him and his family.
