NELSON, New Zealand — Dinesh Chandimal will lead the Sri Lankan Twenty20 team in New Zealand following a knee injury to Lasith Malinga, the country’s cricket board has said.
Regular Twenty20 captain Malinga sustained the knee injury during the home series against West Indies but was expected to play the two Twenty20 matches that conclude Sri Lanka’s tour of New Zealand.
“Lasith Malinga the T20 Captain is injured and unable to tour New Zealand. Dinesh Chandimal has been appointed as the stand-in captain for the T20 leg of the tour,” Sri Lanka Cricket said in a statement.
Sri Lanka is also missing injured pacer Dhammika Prasad while stumper-batsman Kusal Perera has been suspended for failing a dope test.
Opening batsman Danushka Gunathilaka and paceman Suranga Lakmal have been added to the squad for the Twenty20 matches on Jan. 7 and 10.
Kane Williamson will captain New Zealand, taking over from Brendon McCullum who is not available for the later World Twenty20.
Allrounder Corey Anderson returns after missing the recent test series in Australia and test and one-day series against Sri Lanka because of a back injury.
McCullum may miss ODI
New Zealand could get an earlier than expected taste of life without Brendon McCullum Thursday with the swashbuckling captain likely to sit out the third One-Day International against Sri Lanka.
McCullum, who will retire from international cricket in February, hurt his back in the second ODI against Sri Lanka Tuesday.
“He’s still pretty sore,” coach Mike Hesson said after McCullum skipped training Wednesday. “It’s unlikely he’ll play but he’s still a chance.”
New Zealand won the first two ODIs with ease, and even though they totally outclassed Sri Lanka McCullum was injured when he crashed into the fence in a desperate attempt to cut off a boundary.
Afghanistan beats Zimbabwe
Afghanistan survived a middle-order batting collapse to claim a four-wicket win over Zimbabwe in Sharjah Tuesday and take a 2-0 lead in the five-match One-Day International series.
Wicketkeeper Mohammad Shahzad held his nerve as wickets tumbled around him, scoring an unbeaten 131 — the highest ODI score by an Afghan batsman — to help the non-Test playing nation chase down a target of 254 with 14 balls to spare.
Afghanistan was cruising at 169-1, but the run out of Mohammad Nabi triggered an alarming collapse that saw it lose five wickets for just 29 runs.
However, an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 56 between Shahzad and Mirwais Ashraf (26 not out) saw them over the line as Afghanistan bid to follow up a 3-2 win in the ODI series in Zimbabwe in October.
Zimbabwe, which was skittled out for just 82 in the first ODI Friday, posted a far more competitive total this time although it still fell short.
The tourists reached 253-7 from their alloted 50 overs with half-centuries from Craig Ervine (73) and opener Peter Moor (50), while Afghan seamer Dawlat Zadran took 3 for 57.
Brief scores: Zimbabwe 253-7 in 50 overs (Craig Ervine 73, Peter Moor 50; Dawlat Zadran 3-57) v Afghanistan 254-6 in 47.4 overs (Mohammad Shahzad 131 not out; Elton Chigumbura 3-32).
