Sri Lanka wicketkeeper Kusal Perera has had all anti-doping charges brought against him dropped by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after the Qatar-based laboratory that conducted the test withdrew its initial finding.
Opener Kusal Perera hit an explosive maiden half-century off 44 balls to steer Sri Lanka to a 17-run win over Bangladesh in a one-off Twenty20 international in Pallekele on Sunday.
Sri Lanka batsman Dinesh Chandimal has been ruled out of the rest of the World Cup due to a hamstring injury and replaced in the squad by Kusal Perera.
Against Bangladesh, Samson wasn't even considered good enough to come inside the top seven of the line-up and that begs a question as to what is he doing in the team if he isn't good enough to come ahead of Axar Patel.
The just-concluded Asia Cup was deeply saturated with off-field drama. But even amidst the bedlam, there were sparks of brilliance, emergence of new stars and tears of failure.
Kusal Perera blasted an entertaining 66 from 37 balls to help Sri Lanka outclass India by five wickets in the first match of the T20 tri-series in Colombo.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle present Rediff's Most Valuable Player Index of Asia Cup 2025.
The swashbuckling middle-order batsman scored 153, adding a record 78 for the final wicket with number 11 Vishwa Fernando, to guide his team to an epic one-wicket victory in the first Test against South Africa.
De Silva and veteran Angelo Mathews were not included in the 16-man T20 squad but there was a place for Hasaranga.
For someone who has spent six agonising months on the sidelines battling doping allegations, Sri Lankan Kusal Perera cannot think of a better place for his return than the hallowed turf of Lord's in the third and final test against England on Thursday. The 25-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman was sent home from the tour of New Zealand in December after it was announced he had failed a drugs test last July. He was cleared last month when the International Cricket Council (ICC) dropped all charges against him after the Qatar-based laboratory that conducted the test withdrew its initial findings. Perera was not allowed to train with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) coaches and was called up in England only after a shoulder injury had ended paceman Dhammika Prasad's tour.
Arshdeep Singh performing under pressure in the Super Over against Sri Lanka can be attributed to meditation and yoga that he practices regularly.
Bangladesh handed Sri Lanka a crushing seven-wicket defeat in their first warm-up match of the ICC ODI World Cup, in Guwahati on Friday to make a winning start.
Sri Lanka left with regrets after squandering strong start: Pathum Nissanka
Cricketers from the team of the Emirald Isle are under suspicion following their dismal performance in the recently concluded New Zealand tour
Injury-hit Sri Lanka and South Africa seek winning start to World Cup
The fate of the series was decided after India swept aside Sri Lanka in the first two games, leaving the possibility of an embarrassing whitewash hanging over the hosts' heads.
India's newly-forged coach-captain combination of Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav will look to make instant impact against a Sri Lankan team in disarray.
Sri Lanka on Friday suffered a major setback as four of their cricketers, including pacer Dushamantha Chameera and leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, were rendered doubtful for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Sri Lanka opener Kusal Perera blasted the second fastest one-day fifty in their series-levelling two-wicket victory against Pakistan in the second ODI at Pallekele on Wednesday.
Images from the ICC Men's ODI World Cup match between Sri Lanka and Australia at the Ekana Sports City Stadium in Lucknow.
A look back at some of the most painful moments when South Africa came heartbreakingly close -- but always fell short -- before finally breaking the curse at Lord's.
Lanka's sports minister said some 10 million rupees (around $70,000) had been offered to the players to lose the match. Police had mounted a search for the suspect who was said to have approached the two players
Victory left New Zealand on 10 points and in pole position to bag the last semi-final spot and join India, South Africa and Australia. Pakistan will now need to beat England by a massive margin to leapfrog New Zealand on net run rate.
Sri Lanka will arrive in South Africa on Saturday, with the first Test in Pretoria starting on Boxing Day. The second will be in Johannesburg from January 3.
Lockie Ferguson became the sixth New Zealander to take a T20 hat-trick as the visitors edged Sri Lanka by four wickets in a low scoring match in Dambulla.
Images from Monday's World Cup match between Sri Lanka and the West Indies, at at Chester-le-Street.
Sri Lanka have called up leg-spinning all-rounder Dushan Hemantha, while Chamika Karunaratne will be the travelling reserve player.
IMAGES from the World Cup match between England and Sri Lanka, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, on Thursday.
Another Sri Lankan batter made his way to the record books with Dimuth Karunaratne...
Sri Lanka defeated New Zealand via the Super Over in the opening Twenty20 international on Sunday for a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, as Charith Asalanka hit a half-century before guiding them home in the tie-breaker.
IMAGES from the ICC World Cup match played between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, in New Delhi, on Monday.
India edged Sri Lanka via the Super Over in a low-scoring thriller to register a 3-0 whitewash in the T20 International series in Pallekele, on Tuesday.
On a high after claiming his seventh five wicket haul, pace spearhead Ishant Sharma said that he enjoyed bowling on a green wicket with a red kookaburra ball.
Sri Lanka Test captain Dinesh Chandimal was withdrawn on Monday from the 16-member squad for the Asia Cup because of an injury during a recent domestic tournament. The 28-year-old batsman injured a finger during a domestic Twenty20 match and needed more time to recover, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said.
Batsmen Mahela Jayawardene and Lahiru Thirimanne were named in Sri Lanka's 15-member squads for the Asia Cup and WorldT20 in Bangladesh next month following injury lay-offs, while strike spin bowler Rangana Herath was included subject to him proving his fitness.
Photos from Day 5 of the 3rd Test between India and Sri Lanka in Colombo in Tuesday
IMAGES from the Asia Cup 2023 Final played between India and Sri Lanka in Colombo on Sunday.
England face fellow strugglers Sri Lanka in a must-win World Cup match on Thursday.
Leg-spinner Adam Zampa on Monday revealed that he has been suffering from back spasm for the last couple of days, but that could not come in his way of producing a match-winning effort against Sri Lanka in the World Cup in Lucknow.
All-rounder James Faulkner became the sixth Australian cricketer to claim a hat-trick in one-day internationals, achieving the feat in the second match against Sri Lanka on Wednesday. The 26-year-old left-arm bowler got his first wicket when he trapped Kusal Perera leg-before with the final delivery of his eighth over.
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