“Asela got injured in the first session itself and we badly missed him throughout out the match”

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

Sri Lanka Test captain Dinesh Chandimal has called on the International Cricket Council (ICC) to allow substitutions in an international match if a player suffers a serious injury within the first hour of the game.

Chandimal’s comments come after Sri Lanka all-rounder Asela Gunaratne fractured his left thumb in the opening session on the first day of the first Test against India in Galle.

Gunaratne was subsequently ruled out of the series after travelling to Colombo to undergo surgery.

“Asela got injured in the first session itself and we badly missed him throughout out the match,” Chandimal told The Daily Observer. “I am not saying this because our team would have been benefited but in future also all other teams if meet this situation would welcome it.”

Meanwhile, Chandimal was given permission by the ICC to use an inhaler during the ongoing second Test in Colombo after he recovered from a bout of pneumonia.

Chandimal had to seek permission from the cricketing body since many inhalers contain banned substances.

“I am much better. Thanks to the ICC they gave permission for me to use the inhaler, and that will help me breathe properly,” he had said prior to the game.