Hasaranga out for Sri Lanka; Australia bowls 1st in 3rd T20

Tue, Feb 15, 2022
AP Sports

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - Sri Lanka will be without leading legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga for the third Twenty20 cricket international against Australia after he tested positive for COVID-19.

Hasaranga, the top-ranked bowler in T20 international cricket, went into a seven-day isolation after a positive test hours before the start of play on Tuesday, with Sri Lanka needing a victory to keep the five-game series alive.

Australia won the toss and sent Sri Lanka in to bat as it chased a series-clinching victory.

The T20 World Cup champions won the first two games in Sydney, the second in a Super Over on Sunday after the scores were level at the end of the regulation overs.

The Australians made three changes for the match at Canberra's Manuka Oval, with batting veteran Steve Smith sidelined because of the concussion he sustained in a fielding mishap late Sunday and bowlers Pat Cummins and Adam Zampa rested.

Wrist spinner Ashton Agar replaced Zampa, Mitch Starc returned in place of Cummins and allrounder Daniel Sams was drafted in to replace Smith.

Hasaranga was the third Sri Lankan player to test positive for the coronavirus on the brief tour, following Kusal Mendis and Binura Fernando.

He was replaced by Jeffrey Vandersay, and Mendis returned for Game 3 in place of Avishka Fernando.

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Lineups:

Australia: , Aaron Finch (captain), Ben McDermott, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, Daniel Sams, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Kane Richardson, Josh Hazlewood.

Sri Lanka: Danushka Gunathilaka, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Dasun Shanaka (captain), Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Jeffrey Vandersay, Maheesh Theekshana, Nuwan Thushara.

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