Sri Lanka all rounder, Dunith Wellalage will be back in the squad on the morning of the Saturday, and just in time to play the first of the Super Four matches with Bangladesh at Dubai, when his father, Suranga Wellalage, suddenly died. He is set to fly back to be selected after he finished off his family with the 22 year old flying home on Thursday night.
The heartbreaking news came on September 18, the same day Sri Lanka faced Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi. Wellalage played his first game of the tournament, conceding 49 runs in four overs and dismissing Ibrahim Zadran. Sri Lanka won the match by six wickets to secure a Super Four spot, but celebrations were muted after Wellalage was told post-match that his father had suffered a fatal heart attack in Colombo. He was accompanied home by team manager Mahinda Halangode.
In one of the videos of the game, Sri Lanka coach Sanath Jayasuriya was seen consoling a player, Dunith Wellalage, when he informed him about the sad news of the death of his father. Jayasuriya subsequently made an obeisance to Suranga Wellalage, a renowned school cricketer and former captain of Prince of Wales College, and commentator Russel Arnold also paid tribute.
Although his night out at the field was difficult, the 22 year old has already demonstrated potential in his brief career. He has appeared in 31 ODIs and has taken 39 wickets and made 386 out of those 2023 Asia Cup five-wicket hauls against India. He also possesses seven wickets in five T20s.
