ENG vs SL | Avishka Fernando ruled out of ODI series with quadriceps tear

Sri Lanka’s woes in England has continued, as top-order batsman Avishka Fernando has been ruled out of the ODI series with a grade two tear to his quadriceps. Earlier, the batsman was part of the T20I squad, where he played the first two T20Is before suffering an injury during the second T20I, which subsequently ruled him out of the third encounter. 

Earlier this year, the 23-year-old batsman missed out on the limited-overs series against West Indies and Bangladesh, after not passing the fitness test. His injury now would rule him out of contention for the entire series, with Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Oshada Fernando and Pathum Nissanka battling to be in contention to feature in the first ODI, against England. 

While for England, this series won’t be a major concern, in terms of the ODI Super League, for Sri Lanka, this series serves as the last resort for standing a chance to qualify for the 2023 ODI Cricket World Cup. Currently, the Sri Lankan team find itself 13th on the rankings, for the ODI Super League, where they have won just one game. 

England, meanwhile, find themselves in second place, behind Bangladesh, with four wins out of their nine matches, with 40 points, on level with Pakistan and Australia, who have played three fewer games.