Eshan Malinga has been a key pressure for the Sri Lankan national squad in the T20I format. With an economy rate of 9.42 and 8 wickets in as many matches, Malinga was poised to leave a mark of his own in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026. But that seems to be in jeopardy as of now. Sri Lanka cricket has announced that the 24-year-old player will not be part of Sri Lanka’s playing 11 for the third and final T20I against England. This has raised uncertainty over his availability for the upcoming World Cup, where his team is poised to play in front of their home crowd.
Eshan Malinga’s injury: a major blow to Sri Lanka
Eshan Malinga’s injury surfaced while England was chasing a score of 186 in the second T20I. Malinga was the first bowler to continue the proceedings after a long rain interval that had reduced the match to 17 overs for England and 111 runs to win in 58 balls. In that moment, Malinga had given just 4 runs in 1.2 overs.
On the very first ball after the play resumed, he bowled a terrible no-ball way above the wasteline of Jacob Bethell. Almost immediately, Malinga fell on the ground in significant discomfort, holding his non-bowling shoulder. After a brief interaction with the empires, he had to be escorted back to the pavilion, where it appeared he had a shoulder dislocation. Janith Liyanage had to replace him to bowl the remaining of the 8th over of the English innings. Now it looks like Malinga’s injury is much worse than what was initially assessed.
Who will replace Eshan Malinga?
Dilshan Madhushanka will replace Eshan Malinga in the third and final T20I against England. ISI manages to leave a mark on this particular match. Madhushanka is the most likely candidate to replace Malinga if he misses the upcoming T20 World Cup. However, Sri Lanka has a wide range of pacers to replace Malinga in the multination tournament. Pramod Madhushan, Asitha Fernando, and Binura Fernando are other likely candidates.
