Asia Cup 2022: Sri Lankan pacer Dushmantha Chameera ruled out with injury

With Asia Cup less than a week away, Sri Lanka has suffered a major setback as fast bowling spearhead Dushmantha Chameera has been ruled out of the highly anticipated tournament, commencing on the August 27.

Sri Lankan fast bowler Chameera is set to miss the upcoming Asia Cup, just a day after Pakistan’s fast bowling sensation Shaheen Afridi was ruled out of the continental competition owing to a knee injury sustained in the Test series against Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lankan team’s fielding coach Anton Roux put out a post via his official Instagram account where he acknowledged the Sri Lankan pacer’s humility and kindness, along with disclosing his omission from the tournament due to an injury. He wished Chameera all the best in his recovery from the injury, labeling it as a lonely phase of a professional athlete’s career.

His post read, “One of the kindest people I’ve met, and also extremely professional in his approach to his game. So gutted for him about his injury which rules him out of the Asia Cup, but I’m sure Dushy will bounce back stronger for the World Cup in Australia come October. Injuries are part of professional sport and sometimes the road to recovery can be a lonely process. That’s why it’s important to support injured players as best as possible during this phase. See you soon Dushy.”

 

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The Islanders are one of the dark horses for the six-team tournament as they have some world-class players in their ranks, but have suffered in the recent past due to inconsistency. Their limited-overs skipper Dasun Shanaka has galvanized the team to a historic win in the ODI series against Australia and will hope for performances on similar lines from his team in a bid to secure a sixth Asia Cup title.

They are the second-most successful side in the tournament’s history, behind defending champions India. Shanaka’s men will start their campaign with a clash against Afghanistan in the opening fixture of the tournament at the Dubai International Stadium.