**Sri Lanka’s Dunith Wellalage Loses Father During Asia Cup Match**
*By Rajdeep Saha | September 19, 2025, 02:25 AM*
Sri Lankan all-rounder Dunith Wellalage faced a heartbreaking personal tragedy on Thursday, September 18, when his father, Suranga Wellalage, passed away due to a heart attack. The devastating news came while Dunith was representing Sri Lanka in their Asia Cup 2025 group-stage match against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi.
According to ESPNcricinfo, Dunith was informed of his father’s death only after the game, which Sri Lanka won by six wickets with eight balls to spare.
**Confirmation of the News**
Former cricketer and broadcaster Russell Arnold confirmed the sad news on air following Sri Lanka’s victory over Afghanistan. Sri Lankan media reported that Dunith was told about his father’s passing shortly after the team successfully chased down a target of 170 runs. A poignant moment was captured in a photo shared by journalist Damith Weerasinghe, showing the team manager comforting a visibly shaken Dunith with an arm around him.
**Remembering Suranga Wellalage**
Suranga was remembered by Arnold as a talented cricketer who had captained the prestigious Prince of Wales College team during Arnold’s own captaincy tenure at St Peter’s College. His passing now casts a somber shadow over Dunith’s continued participation in the Asia Cup.
Sri Lanka still has three important fixtures remaining in the tournament — against Bangladesh on September 20, Pakistan on September 23, and India on September 26.
**Dunith Wellalage’s Career Overview**
The match against Afghanistan marked only Dunith’s fifth T20 International and his debut in this tournament. He has taken 7 T20I wickets at an average of 20.
In One Day Internationals (ODIs), Dunith has featured in 31 matches, boasting his best bowling figures of 5/27 during the third ODI against India in Colombo in August 2024. Overall, he has claimed 39 ODI wickets at an average of 29.10. Notably, he also secured five wickets for 40 runs against India during the 2023 Asia Cup, which was played in ODI format. He has played one Test match but is yet to take a wicket in the longest format.
**Performance Against Afghanistan**
In the match against Afghanistan, Dunith conceded 32 runs in the final 20th over. The Afghans were struggling at 114/7 by the 17th over after Rashid Khan was dismissed for 24. They reached 137/7 after 19 overs.
However, Mohammad Nabi hammered Wellalage for five sixes in the last over, which included a no-ball and a single on the final delivery, leading to a massive 32-run over. Afghanistan finished their innings at 169/8.
Despite the expensive last over, Dunith’s earlier bowling was effective, and he ended with figures of 1/49 from his four overs.
—
The Sri Lankan cricket fraternity and fans alike are rallying behind Dunith Wellalage as he copes with this profound personal loss while continuing to represent his country on an immense stage.
https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/sports/sri-lanka-allrounder-dunith-wellalage-s-father-passes-away/story
