Sri Lanka all-rounder Dunith Wellalage's father dies during match against Afghanistan in Asia Cup

Dubai: Suranga Wellalage, father of Sri Lankan all-rounder Dunith Wellalage, passed away on September 18, the same day his son featured in the Asia Cup Group B match against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi.

Dunith, 22, received the tragic news only after the match had ended, which Sri Lanka won by six wickets to progress unbeaten to the Super Four stage. Wellalage departed early this morning from Abu Dhabi, accompanied by team manager Mahinda Halangoda.

The heartbreaking news reached Wellalage inside the dressing room. Initially informed of a medical emergency at home, he was soon told of his father's passing.

Head Coach Sanath Jayasuriya, visibly emotional upon hearing the news, was seen in tears and later spent time comforting the young all-rounder. Wellalage left the team hotel a few hours later to catch the earliest available flight to Colombo, where he joined his grieving family.

The mood among the Sri Lankan squad shifted from jubilation to shock. Having just secured a crucial win to top their group, players left the stadium in silence, their celebrations halted by the somber news.

It was a tough outing for Wellalage on the field. He had a poor day with the ball, finishing with figures of 1 for 49 in four overs. His final over was particularly expensive, as veteran Afghan batter Mohammad Nabi smashed him for five sixes and 32 runs overall.

Wellalage’s availability for the remainder of the tournament is now uncertain. Sri Lanka is scheduled to face Bangladesh on September 20, Pakistan on September 23, and India on September 26.

The match against Afghanistan marked Wellalage’s fifth T20I appearance and his first of this tournament. In ODIs, he has featured in 31 games, having already made a name for himself with two five-wicket hauls against India — including one during the 2023 ODI Asia Cup, where he ended with 10 wickets at an impressive average of 17.90, the joint second-best tally in the tournament. Overall, he has taken 39 ODI wickets and seven in T20Is. With the bat, he has contributed valuable runs in ODIs, scoring 386 runs in 24 innings at an average of 20.31, including a half-century.

In the match, Afghanistan opted to bat first, but were rocked early by Matheesha Pathirana (4/18), who reduced them to 40/3 in the powerplay. Ibrahim Zadran (24 off 27) and captain Rashid Khan (24 off 23) offered some resistance, but Afghanistan were struggling at 114/7 in the 18th over.

Then came a blistering late onslaught from Mohammad Nabi, who smashed an unbeaten 60 off just 22 balls — hitting three fours and six sixes. His rampage included five sixes in Wellalage’s final over, propelling Afghanistan to a competitive total of 169/7.

Sri Lanka’s chase got off to a shaky start with the early dismissal of in-form opener Pathum Nissanka. Despite a fluent knock from Kusal Perera (28), Sri Lanka found themselves in a tricky position at 119/4 in the 15th over.

However, Kusal Mendis anchored the innings masterfully with an unbeaten 74 off 52 deliveries, laced with 10 boundaries. He was well supported by Kamindu Mendis, who scored a quickfire 26 not out off just 13 balls, including two sixes. Their 52-run partnership guided Sri Lanka to victory with eight balls to spare.