||Desk Report||

Dinesh Chandimal seems to have been stuck in a miserable loop which is keeping him from representing his country at the international levels on a regular basis. He missed the ODIs against South Africa after being handed a suspension by the ICC due to spirit of cricket violation. And a finger injury has now ruled the batsman out of the upcoming Asia Cup.

Chandimal injured his middle-finger while playing for Colombo, during an SLC clash. Following an assessment on his injury, it became apparent that the 28-year-old will miss the continental event as he needs more time to recover. He last featured in an ODI for the national side back in January this year, during the tri-nation series in Bangladesh.

Niroshan Dickwella, who was on the standby list, has earned a spot in the 16-member squad and will replace Chandimal. Another member of the squad, Akila Dananjaya will miss the early part of the competition as he is expecting the birth of his first child.

Sri Lanka will take on Bangladesh in their first group match on the opening day of the tournament, in Dubai. They will face Afghanistan on September 17, in Abu Dhabi.