Sri Lanka call up leg-spinner Viyaskanth for T20I tri-series: Details
What's the story
Sri Lanka have called up leg-spinner Vijayakanth Viyaskanth as cover for the injured Wanindu Hasaranga in their T20I squad. Hasaranga suffered a hamstring injury during the second ODI against Pakistan and missed the third match of the series. Although he hasn't been ruled out yet, his participation in future matches remains uncertain. Here are further details.
Career highlights
Viyaskanth's journey to the national team
Viyaskanth will join the Sri Lankan squad directly from Qatar, where he was playing for Sri Lanka A in the Asia Cup Rising Stars tournament. He has only played once for Sri Lanka in senior cricket, making his debut at the Hangzhou Asian Games in October 2023. The leg-spinner first gained attention in December 2020 when he became the youngest player to feature in the Lanka Premier League at 18 years and 364 days old.
Performance stats
Viyaskanth's impressive T20 record
Viyaskanth has an impressive record in T20 cricket, having taken 67 wickets at an average of 20.98 and an economy rate of 7.18 in 59 matches. He was also the second-highest wicket-taker in the SLC T20 League. His addition to the squad comes as Sri Lanka also misses their regular T20I captain Charith Asalanka due to illness, with Dasun Shanaka stepping up as captain for the tri-series against Zimbabwe and Pakistan.