Dilshan Madushanka ruled out of remainder of Bangladesh tour due to hamstring injury
Sri Lanka left-arm pacer Dilshan Madushanka will not partake in the final ODI against Bangladesh, and will also not be considered for the upcoming Test series after sustaining a hamstring injury. The pacer pulled up midway through his seventh over, the 26th over of the innings, and walked off the field due to the injury and did not return to bowl.
Madushanka had figures of 2-30 after bowling 6.4 overs. He had dismissed Litton Das in the very first over and had also sent back Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto after the first powerplay.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) released a brief statement confirming the bowler's injury that cut his tour short.
"Dilshan Madushanka will not further take part in the ongoing tour as the bowler will return to start rehabilitation work after suffering an injury during the 2nd ODI. Madushanka, who left the field during the second ODI while bowling, has suffered a left hamstring injury, as confirmed by an MRI scan performed on the player," the statement read
Due to the injury, Madushanka was not available to bowl in the latter half of the innings. Bangladesh ended up posting 286-7, courtesy of an unbeaten 96 by Towhid Hridoy. Sri Lanka endured a stutter at the beginning of the run chase after being reduced to 43-3 at one stage but were rescued by a mammoth partnership between Pathum Nissanka and Chraith Asalanka.
The three-match ODI series between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh is currently level at 1-1, with the series finale scheduled for Monday, March 18 at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram.
Madushanka's injury may impact his maiden IPL stint with the Mumbai Indians
The full extent of the injury is yet to be known, and the impact it might have on his upcoming scheduled 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) stint with the Mumbai Indians (MI).
Madushanka had bagged a deal worth ₹4.6 crore with the five-time champions after he had impressed one and all with his white-ball performances at the 2023 ODI World Cup.
MI do have enough depth to cover Madushanka's absence, but his presence as a credible left-arm pacer along with Jason Behrendorff certainly adds versatility to the bowling unit.
MI will kickstart their season with a high-octane clash against the Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 24.