Sri Lanka Cricket deny Wanindu Hasaranga NOC for The Hundred 2022; player set to withdraw from tournament
Sri Lanka spinner Wanindu Hasaranga will not partake in the ongoing edition of The Hundred after Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) denied him a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the tournament. The 25-year-old was a part of the Manchester Originals franchise on a £100,000 contract, which he will be forced to relinquish.
Ashley de Silva, SLC's chief executive, told ESPNcricinfo that the cricket board wants the spinner to be fresh for the upcoming 2022 Asia Cup, which begins on August 27, as well as the subsequent T20 World Cup.
The Jos Buttler-led franchise initially expected the spinner to miss the tournament as it clashed with the Lankan Premier League.
Wanindu Hasaranga has been forced to pull out of his £100,000 contract with Manchester Originals.
ESPNcricinfo understands Tristan Stubbs has been lined up as his replacement.
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However, Sri Lanka's T20 league was postponed due to the worsening economic situation in the country. The island nation even agreed with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to scrap the three-match ODI series to conduct the tournament in that time frame.
The Manchester Originals still have the option to retain Hasaranga's services for the 2023 edition of the tournament if they can agree to a contract with him.
Manchester Originals sign Tristan Stubbs as replacement for Wanindu Hasaranga
The franchise, who will face the Northern Superchargers in their first match on Friday (August 5), have roped in South African sensation Tristan Stubbs as a replacement. The 21-year-old showed his potential with a stunning 28-ball 74 run knock in the first T20I against England recently.
Tristan Stubbs scored 72 from just 28 balls against England in the first T20i with 2 fours and 8 sixes.
Manchester Originals have the likes of Andre Russell, Sean Abbott and Ashton Turner as part of their overseas contingent. The franchise will not have the services of Russell during the latter stages of the tournament with the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) beginning on September 1.
Promising youngster Stubbs was also roped in as a replacement by the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL). Stubbs came in for Tymal Mills, who sustained an injury midway through the tournament.
Defending champions Southern Brave kickstarted The Hundred 2022 with a comfortable nine-wicket win over Welsh Fire in the opening contest on Wednesday (August 3).
Do you feel Sri Lanka Cricket were right in not allowing Hasaranga to participate in The Hundred due to national interests? Let us know what you think.