Sri Lanka cricketer Dunith Wellalage learns of fathers death after Asia Cup clash vs Afghanistan
Sri Lanka all-rounder Dunith Wellalage was informed about his father Suranga's death after the team's Asia Cup match against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi.
New Delhi: Sri Lanka all-rounder Dunith Wellalage’s father, Suranga Wellalage, passed away due to a heart attack on Thursday, September 18. He was playing for Sri Lanka in their Asia Cup 2025 group-stage match against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi when he got the news of his father’s passing, and returned home from the ongoing tournament after the game.
Former cricketer and broadcaster Russell Arnold confirmed the news on air after Sri Lanka defeated Afghanistan by six wickets in their last group-stage match. Sri Lankan media also reported that Dunith was informed about the tragedy shortly after Sri Lanka chased down the 170-run target. A picture of the team manager consoling the all-rounder was shared by Sri Lankan journalist Damith Weerasinghe.
Arnold said on-air that Suranga Wellalage was a respected cricketer who had captained one of Sri Lanka’s leading school teams.
"Dunith Wellalage’s father, Suranga, passed away just a while ago. He played a bit of cricket too. You know how big our school cricket scene is. He captained Prince of Wales College when I captained my school, St Peter’s," Arnold said while commentating on Sony Sports Network.
He further added that it is quite sad to hear that, and the news was broken to Dunith just a while ago. Arnold expressed condolences to the family.
"The celebrations will be muted. The team is a tight place, the dressing room. Hopefully, this bonds them and helps them go on and do well in the Super 4 stage," he added. Dunith
Sri Lanka registered a dominating win against Afghanistan, chasing the 170-run target in the 19th over, with Kusal Mendis scoring an unbeaten 74 and Kamindu Mendis also contributing a brisk 28.
Nabi smashes Dunith for five sixes in an over
Afghanistan once again failed to deliver with the bat and were reduced to 120/7 in the 18th over, and seemingly headed for a below-par total. But all-rounder Mohammad Nabi launched a counterattack, smashing five sixes against Dunith, who ended up conceding 32 runs in the over, which is the second-most by a Sri Lankan bowler in T20Is after Akila Dananjaya.
Sri Lanka, the defending champions of the T20 Asia Cup, will now take on India, Pakistan and Bangladesh in the Super 4 stage.