ENG vs SL: Why did Kusal Perera miss T20 World Cup 2026 match 42?
(Courtesy : Getty Images)
Dasun Shanaka revealed that Kusal Perera is not part of the ENG vs SL match.
Sri Lanka and England are clashing in Match 42 of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 on Sunday, February 22. The England vs Sri Lanka match is the first game for both teams in the Super 8 round. While Sri Lanka qualified for Super 8 from Group B, England progressed from Group C. Both are placed in Group 2 in the Round 2.
Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka won the toss and opted to bowl first. At the toss, he informed that they have made two changes in the playing XI. Kusal Perera and Pramod Madusan were absent from the match. He also revealed the reason behind their absence.
Why is Kusal Perera not part of Sri Lanka’s playing XI vs England?
Shanaka informed that Perera and Madushan were rested in the match against England. Dushmantha Chameera and Kamil Mishara were added as replacements. Hence, Perera was replaced by Mishara in the playing XI.
Revealing about changes in the playing XI, Shanaka said, “Injuries have been very damaging but at the same time, the replacements have done really well for us. Couple of changes. (Dushmantha) Chameera comes back for Pramod Madushan and Kamil Mishara comes in for Kusal Perera”.
Backing his decision to bowl first, the Sri Lanka captain noted, “We want to bowl first. We’ve been chasing it well in the past few occasions, happy to chase it down. (On his team’s performances so far) Very happy and very confident. Boys are very confident playing here.“
On the other hand, England skipper Harry Brook informed that they have made no changes to their playing XI. He also added that they wished to bowl first.
“We would have had a bowl as well. We see this is a new competition now. we got to be brave and take the opposition and look to put them under pressure. Yeah, we had an amazing series here against them guys. And we take a lot of confidence having played three games on this pitch already,” Brook said.
“So, looking forward to the challenge that presents us today. (On the pitch) They all looks similar here, I’m going to be honest. We’ll see how it plays early on and then try and adapt as well as possible. Like I said, we’ve got to be brave and take them on. We’ve got the same team, but it’s a long time ago,” he added.
Sri Lanka Playing XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis (WK), Pavan Rathnayake, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka (C), Dunith Wellalage, Dushan Hemantha, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka.
England Playing XI: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler (WK), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Harry Brook (C), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid.
Why is Kusal Perera not part of Sri Lanka’s playing XI vs England?
Kusal has been rested in the ENG vs SL match.
What changes have Sri Lanka made to their playing XI vs England?
Sri Lanka have made two changes in their playing XI against England, replacing Kusal Perera and Pramod Madushan with Kamil Mishara and Dushmantha Chameera.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.