Sri Lanka name Asitha Fernando as Binura Fernando's injury replacement

Asitha Fernando in action [Source: Twitter]

In what could be a significant development, Sri Lanka have drafted Asitha Fernando into their T20 World Cup squad as the injury replacement for Binura Fernando. 

Binura Fernando, who was an injury replacement for Dilshan Madushanka, damaged his left hamstring during the last game against Australia, which eventually ruled him out of the mega event. On the other hand, Asitha was added to the team as a backup player alongside Niroshan Dickwella and Matheesha Pathirana. Now, with Binura's World Cup participation jeopardised, the Lankan think tank has decided to include Asitha in the main squad. 

Asitha belongs to the rare breed of hit-the-deck seamers to have emerged from the island nation. However, he has had modest success in his brief T20I career, scalping only two wickets in three appearances. He debuted against Bangladesh in the recently held Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates. 

Logically, the Lankan pace attack seems to be strengthened with the addition of Asitha Fernando. He hits the deck at a good pace and can thus assist Lahiru Kumara in dismantling the opponents. So, considering his ability, we expect him to play a crucial role with the ball for Sri Lanka in Australian conditions. 

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