**Sri Lanka’s Dunith Wellalage Returns Home Following Father’s Passing During Asia Cup**
Abu Dhabi: Sri Lanka’s young all-rounder Dunith Wellalage has returned home from the ongoing Asia Cup after receiving the tragic news of his father Suranga Wellalage’s death on Thursday night. The loss occurred on the same day Dunith was playing a Group B league match against Afghanistan here.
Wellalage only learned about his father’s demise after completing the match and immediately left for Colombo on the earliest available flight. It remains unclear whether the 22-year-old will return to participate further in the tournament, where Sri Lanka is scheduled to face Bangladesh in a Super 4 match on Saturday.
Following their game against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka will play against Pakistan on September 23 and India on September 26.
Messages of support poured in for Dunith Wellalage following the news. Former Sri Lanka captain Lasith Malinga expressed his condolences on X, writing, “Deeply saddened by the passing of Mr. Suranga Wellalage, father of Dunith Wellalage. My heartfelt condolences to the family. Stay strong Dunith, the whole nation stands with you and your family in this difficult time.”
Veteran Afghanistan cricketer Mohammad Nabi also tweeted, “Heartfelt condolences to Dunith Wellalage and his family on the loss of his beloved father. Stay strong brother.”
On the field, Wellalage, a left-arm spinner, bowled four overs against Afghanistan, taking the wicket of Ibrahim Zadran while conceding 49 runs. This match marked the fifth T20 International of his career.
Sri Lanka won the game by six wickets, thanks in large part to wicketkeeper-batsman Kusal Mendis, who scored an unbeaten 74 off 52 balls.
*Note: Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ’s editorial team and was auto-generated from an agency feed.*
https://www.freepressjournal.in/sports/sri-lanka-all-rounder-dunith-wellalage-returns-home-amid-asia-cup-after-father-passes-away
