Gunaratne, Madushanka doubtful for Nidahas Trophy

New Delhi: Sri Lanka dealt a major blow ahead of the Nidahas Trophy with Asela Gunaratne and Shehan Madushanka unlikely to feature in the T20 tri-series which begins on March 6 in Colombo.

Gunaratne was a part of the Lankan squad that lifted the T20 series against Bangladesh but failed to feature in both the encounters due to a shoulder injury while Shehan Madushanka was helped out of the field after he pulled the hamstring in the second T20 match at Sylhet on Sunday.

Madushanka was scheduled to undergo an MRI scan on Wednesday but according to Cricbuzz, the bowler is unlikely to be ready for the tri-nation series.

The 25-year-old was handpicked by Coach Chandika Hathurusingha for the recently concluded Bangladesh tour and justifying his selection, Madushanka clinched a hat-trick on debut.

Full-time limited-overs skippers Angelo Mathews, wicket-keeper Kusal Perera, pacers Danusha CHammer and Nuwan Pradeep also face a race against time and will have to prove their fitness before the squad announcement.

Nidahas Trophy will be played to mark the 70^th Sri Lanka independence and all the matches will be played in R. Premadasa stadium with finals scheduled on March 18.