Wellalage debuts for Sri Lanka

Rex Clementine at Dambulla

Sri Lanka awarded Dunith Wellalage his long-awaited T20 debut in the second game against the West Indies in Dambulla yesterday. Despite his significant experience in ODIs, with 24 appearances under his belt, the versatile all-rounder had been sidelined from the T20 format—until now.

Earlier this year, Wellalage traveled with Sri Lanka’s World Cup squad to the United States and West Indies but didn’t feature in a match. Curiously, his Test debut came over two years ago, at just 19, though he was dropped after a single outing. Many fans and analysts have puzzled over the delay in giving him a T20 chance, as he’s shown promise as a solid white-ball player.

For this game, Wellalage’s left-arm spin and lower middle-order batting were favored over seam-bowling all-rounder Chamindu Wickramasinghe. The decision to add an extra spinner seemed strategic, as the match would be played on the same wicket used in the first game on Sunday.

Sri Lanka made a second adjustment, bringing in fast bowler Nuwan Thusara to replace Asitha Fernando. The hosts lost the opening T20 by a narrow margin in the final over, as the West Indies successfully chased down the 180-run target with five wickets in hand.

Ranked third in the ICC standings, the West Indies are a formidable opponent, while Sri Lanka sit at eighth. A series win could boost Sri Lanka’s rankings and morale.

Sri Lanka were aiming at dismantling the West Indies’ opening pair early on after their fiery partnership in the first T20 set the tone. The duo amassed 107 runs inside the first nine overs, with 74 runs coming off the Powerplay alone. Despite a solid recovery by Sri Lanka’s bowlers, the initial damage proved too much.

Sri Lanka’s total of 179 in the first T20 was powered by impressive half-centuries from captain Charith Asalanka and all-rounder Kamindu Mendis. Despite recent success in Tests and ODIs, the T20 format has been less kind to them, a trend Asalanka hopes to reverse. Before the series began, he emphasized the importance of excelling in the shortest format, with an eye on the 2026 T20 World Cup that Sri Lanka will co-host with India.

After this series, Sri Lanka will play two more T20s against New Zealand next month before traveling to New Zealand in December for a three-match T20 series.