"Wanindu has accepted his punishment" - Chris Silverwood asks Sri Lanka to seize 'opportunity' in Hasaranga's ban

Sri Lanka head coach Chris Silverwood has urged his side to 'move on' from Wanindu Hasaranga's two-match ban and seize the 'opportunity' it creates for a youngster to come in and put his name forward for the 2024 T20 World Cup.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) found in breach of article 2.13 of the Code of Conduct which relates to ‘Personal abuse' of a player or official. He had pilloried umpire Lyndon Hannibal as "not suited to international cricket" after he refused to adjudge a high full-toss as a no-ball in Sri Lanka's third T20I against Afghanistan.

The all-rounder got three demerit points, amounting to a total five in the past 24 months, which led to a ban from the first two of the three T20Is against Bangladesh.

"Wanindu missing two matches is something that we have to deal with," Silverwood told reporters on Sunday. "Wanindu has accepted his punishment, and all we have to do now is move on. What it does do is create an opportunity for other people within the squad to get significant game time leading into the World Cup."

Silverwood added:

"That's how we have to look at it because we've seen in a World Cup and Sri Lanka have experienced that it's not just the eleven on the field; it's a whole squad that takes part in the World Cup. And at any given point, they will all be called upon and so we have to make sure that everybody within that squad is ready for those games as and when they're called upon."

In his absence, Charith Asalanka will lead the side in the first two matches. In the spin department, Sri Lanka have Maheesh Theekshana, Akila Dhananjaya, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kamindu Mendis, and Jeffrey Vandersay to choose from.

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"We are Sri Lanka, we want to play like Sri Lankans" - Chris Silverwood

Silverwood also expressed confidence on Sri Lanka's recent and journey leading up to the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Carribean and the USA. He said:

"To be fair, we've played some very good T20 cricket leading into this, so I expect that to continue. I expect us to continue to grow our game plans, continue to develop as a team and as players, and keep working hard towards that. And ultimately playing our own brand of cricket going into the World Cup, you know what I mean? We are Sri Lanka, we want to play like Sri Lankans, and that's what we're going to aim to do."

The first Sri Lanka-Bangladesh T20I will kick off on Monday at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.