
Sri Lanka allrounder Wanidu Hasaranga has been ruled out of the 2026 T20 World Cup with a hamstring injury he suffered during their opening game aga8nst Ireland in Colombo on Sunday.
Although he completed his spell, taking 3 for 25 in four overs to derail Ireland’s spirited chase of 164, Hasaranga had an MRI scan on Monday that revealed a serious tear in his left hamstring. The report was seen by a specialist in the UK before he was ruled out on Tuesday.
The tear is understood to be related to a previous hamstring injury, though it is not a recurrence exactly. Hasaranga has battled injury for several years now, including a foot complaint
The ICC is yet to approve a replacement but Hasaranga is likely to be replaced in the squad by fellow legspin-bowling allrounder Dushan Hemantha. Although Hemantha, 31, brings roughly the same skillset, he has had only sporadic opportunities at the top level. He has played three T20Is, and has taken four wickets in those matches, with an economy rate of 7.85. Sri Lanka may also drop him straight into the XI – aside from the spinners who played on Sunday, there are no spinners in reserve in the squad.
Hasaranga’s loss is a substantial blow to Sri Lanka’s campaign nevertheless. He is the team’s most accomplished bowler in this format, and has been outstanding with the ball at T20 World Cups, taking 40 wickets and maintaining an economy rate of 6.01 across 20 innings.
Sri Lanka’s second group game is against Oman on February 12 in Pallekele, followed by Australia on February 16 in Pallekele, and finally Zimbabwe in Colombo (RPS) on February 19.
(Cricinfo)
Kuwait says a power and desalination plant has been hit by an Iranian attack.
Gulf countries continue to face retaliatory strikes on the 35th day, of the United States and Israel’s war on Iran.
Kuwaiti authorities said the plant was struck before midday local time on Friday. The extent of the damage is not yet known.
The attack came hours after the Mina al-Ahmadi oil refinery was targeted in early morning drone strikes. State news agency KUNA said the attack caused fires in a “number of operational units,” and no employees were injured.
Emergency and firefighting teams were sent with environmental experts monitoring air quality.
Al Jazeera’s Malik Traina, reporting from the capital, Kuwait City, said this was the third time the refinery’s been hit and that people across the country are on “high alert”.
“It’s one of the biggest refineries in the Middle East and it is also critical for local consumption,” he said.
Kuwait “is the closest country to Iran – just 80 kilometres separates Kuwait from Iran’s coastlines, so it’s perhaps the most easily targeted from these attacks from Iran,” he added.
In an early post on X, KUNA warned that “hostile missile and drone attacks” on Kuwait were under way. Sirens sounded during midair explosions as interceptions of Iranian missiles were heard across the country, the agency reported.
Kuwait and much of the Gulf are highly dependent on desalinated water. An Indian national was killed on March 30 after a Kuwaiti power and desalination plant was hit. Iran denied claims it launched the attacks and blamed Israel.
Elsewhere, the United Arab Emirates’ defence ministry said the country was battling a new wave of suspected Iranian missile and drone attacks.
[Aljazeera]
The Sri Lanka Cricket Selection Panel has named a 15-member squad for the upcoming Tri- Series tour of Australia, which will also feature England.
During the tour, the team will play a total of six matches, comprising two One Day and four T20 games, scheduled for the 7th, 8th, 12th, 13th, 17th, and 18th of April.
The squad is scheduled to depart for Australia today [3rd April 2026.]
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has announced the following appointments to the National High Performance Center:
Ryan van Niekerk, who served as the bowling coach and interim head coach of the Netherlands national team from 2023 to 2026, was appointed as the national bowling coach of Sri Lanka Cricket.
In this role, he will oversee fast bowling across all national teams, including the national men’s team.
Before taking over the interim role, he worked as the assistant coach and bowling coach of the Netherlands national men’s team.
During his stint with the Netherlands team, Ryan has contributed to the team’s participation in major international tournaments such as the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, and ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
He was appointed for a two-year tenure, commencing on 15th April 2026.
Jordan Gregory, who has worked as a fielding consultant for Netherlands Cricket, was appointed as the national fielding and spin bowling coach.
He will be responsible for overseeing fielding and spin bowling across all national teams at the High Performance Center, including the national men’s team.
During his time with Netherlands Cricket, Gregory has contributed to several bilateral and multinational tournaments, including the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2023.
Jordan will begin his two-year tenure on 15th April 2026.
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