Sri Lanka's Asalanka, Fernando return home from Pakistan due to 'illness' a week after Islamabad suicide attack

Two senior members of the Sri Lankan cricket team will be returning home from Pakistan due to an “illness”, the Sri Lanka Cricket said on Monday without specifying what the illness was. Sri Lanka skipper Charith Asalanka will be flying back home along with senior pacer Asitha Fernando after the conclusion of the three-match ODI series against Pakistan, and will be missing out an upcoming T20I triangular series which has Zimbabwe as the third team and gets underway on Tuesday.

With Asalanka sitting out of the assignment, senior all-rounder Dasun Shanaka has been named the skipper for the tri-series that concludes on Saturday, 29 November. Fernando, meanwhile, has been replaced by Pavan Rathnayake in the Sri Lankan squad.

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In its official statement posted on X, SLC added that the decision to release Asalanka and Fernando from the squad in Pakistan was a “precautionary decision” to ensure they had sufficient time to recover ahead of future assignments.

“Two Players Returning Home: Captain Charith Asalanka and fast bowler Asitha Fernando, both suffering from illness, will return home. The two players will not take part in the upcoming tri-series featuring Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe,” read SLC’s post on X.

“This precautionary decision ensures they receive proper care and sufficient time to recover ahead of future assignments.

“Dasun Shanaka to Captain With Asalanka unavailable. Pavan Rathnayake has been added to the T20I squad as a replacement,” the statement added.

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Timing of Asalanka and Fernando’s ‘illness’ interesting

Interestingly, the development comes just a few days after a deadly suicide bombing in Islamabad last Tuesday that left 12 dead and injured more than 20. Several members of the Sri Lankan team had expressed unease over continuing with their ongoing tour, especially since it evoked memories of their 2009 tour of Pakistan in which the team bus had been targeted by terrorists near Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.

The blast had also taken place at a court complex in the Pakistani capital close to the hotel where they were staying for the three-match ODI series, which had taken place in Rawalpindi – a city that’s adjacent to Islamabad.

Pakistan Cricket Board chief Mohsin Naqvi, however, managed to convince the Sri Lankan team to stay back while assuring them of army and paramilitary cover for the remaining matches of the tour. SLC also forced players as well as members of the support staff to stay back despite security concerns, threatening a "formal review" against those going against the board’s directive.