Kusal Mendis ruled out of World Cup - (Source: X.com)
In a significant development, Sri Lanka's star keeper-batter Kusal Mendis has been ruled out of T20 World Cup 2026. The right-handed batter has suffered an injury and will miss the upcoming clash against Pakistan on Saturday, February 28.
The nature of Kusal Mendis' injury has not been revealed but a Newswire report added that the 31-year-old sustained an injury during group-stage and it has resurfaced, forcing him to miss the Pakistan match.
Kusal Mendis To Miss Afghanistan T20Is
The report further added that Kusal Mendis is most likely to miss the upcoming Afghanistan T20Is as well which begins right after the World Cup. Meanwhile, talking about the Pakistan clash, Kamil Mishara expected to take over wicketkeeping duties.
Also, the board is yet to issue an statement on Kusal Mendis and also update on Mendis' recovery time. However, the board will not miss Mendis because the upcoming clash against Pakistan will be a dead-rubber.
Talking about Mendis' contribution in the tournament, then the right-handed batter amassed 197 runs in six innings, averaging 39.40. Further, he managed to hit three fifty-plus scores.
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Notably, the Island Nation crashed out of the tournament after an embarrassing defeat against New Zealand in their home. The Dasun Shanaka-led side got off to the perfect start and qualified for Super 8 with three wins and a solitary defeat against Zimbabwe.
However, the team looked totally different in Super 8 round where they failed to win a solitary game in two matches suffering heavy defeats from England and New Zealand.
Sri Lanka Dealing With Loads Of Injuries
Kusal Mendis is Sri Lanka's third player to be ruled out of the tournament with injury. Firstly, it was Wanindu Hasaranga, who was dealing with hamstring injury, bowed out of the tournament to recover.
Hasaranga entered the tournament with an injury and it got aggravated in Sri Lanka’s opening match vs Ireland. The spinner managed to bowl four overs against the Irish side, but it was his last spell of the tournament.
After Hasaranga, Matheesha Pathirana was the next to depart and leave the tournament midway. He was officially ruled out of the T20 World Cup 2026 due to a muscle strain injury sustained during Sri Lanka’s group stage match against Australia as the pacer walked off the field during the game.
Sri Lanka Faces Criticism After Early Exit
Sri Lanka faced criticism after early exit and now the Island Nation can see a major shake-up in their set-up. Dasun Shanaka is also under the scanner for his performance. Even during New Zealand match, the fans left the stadiums mid-match because of the shambolic performance.
The Sri Lanka board is yet to release an update on their squad, but it seems like a lot of changes will be made in the final 15.
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