Sri Lanka's Dunith Wellalage loses father during Asia Cup match
What's the story
Sri Lankan all-rounder Dunith Wellalage suffered a major personal loss on Thursday, September 18, when his father Suranga Wellalage passed away due to a heart attack. The tragic news broke while Dunith was playing for Sri Lanka in their Asia Cup 2025 group-stage match against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi. As per ESPNcricinfo, he found out about his father's death after the game, which Sri Lanka won by six wickets with eight balls to spare.
Confirmation
Dunith informed after match
Former cricketer and broadcaster Russell Arnold confirmed the news of Suranga's demise on air after Sri Lanka's victory over Afghanistan. According to Sri Lankan media reports, Dunith was informed about his father's passing shortly after their successful chase of 170 runs. A photo shared by journalist Damith Weerasinghe showed the team manager comforting a visibly shaken Dunith with an arm around him.
Legacy
Suranga's passing casts shadow over Dunith's participation in Asia Cup
Arnold remembered Suranga as a talented cricketer who had captained one of Sri Lanka's top school teams, Prince of Wales College. This was during Arnold's own captaincy at St Peter's College. The news of Suranga's demise cast a shadow over Dunith's participation in the remaining matches of the Asia Cup. Sri Lanka still have three more games to play: against Bangladesh on September 20, Pakistan on September 23, and India on September 26.
Career
A look at Dunith's international career
Thursday's match against Afghanistan was only Dunith's fifth T20I and his first in this tournament. He owns 7 T20I wickets at 20. He has played 31 ODIs, with his best bowling figures being 5/27 in the third ODI against India in Colombo in August 2024. He has picked 39 ODI wickets at 29.10. He managed five wickets for 40 runs against India during the 2023 Asia Cup held in ODI format. Lastly, he has played one Test match (0 wickets).
Vs AFG
Dunith conceded 32 runs in the 20th over vs AFG
The Afghans were reduced to 114/7 in the 17th over when Rashid Khan was dismissed for 24. Thereafter, they were 137/7 after 19 overs. Mohammad Nabi then hammered Wellalage for five sixes in the last over of the innings. The final over fetched a whopping 32 runs, including a no-ball and single run on its last delivery. This helped Afghanistan get to 169/8. Dunith, who bowled well before that, finished off with 1/49 from his 4 overs.