Shoulder injury casts doubt over Eshan Malinga's T20 World Cup
The Sri Lanka quick dislocated his shoulder during Sunday's T20I defeat to England
Madushka Balasuriya
02-Feb-2026 • 5 hrs ago
Eshan Malinga was hurt in the process of delivering the ball • AFP/Getty Images
Eshan Malinga will miss Sri Lanka's third T20I against England on Tuesday with a dislocated shoulder, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has announced. ESPNcricinfo also understands that the 24-year-old quick had been named in Sri Lanka's World Cup squad - which is yet to be publicly announced by SLC - but now that is also in jeopardy following the freak injury in Sunday's T20I defeat to England in Pallekele.
The incident occurred in the eighth over of England's chase as Malinga bowled the first ball following resumption of play after a lengthy rain interval. Upon delivery release Malinga seemingly tweaked his left (non-bowling) shoulder, and clutched it falling to the floor mid followthrough. The delivery itself was wayward, arriving above waist height and given as a no-ball.
"He will return to Colombo today, where he will undergo an MRI scan to assess the extent of the injury and determine the next course of action," stated an SLC media release.
It's a cruel blow for Malinga, who had shot up Sri Lanka's seam-bowling pecking order following an impressive debut IPL stint in 2025. He had picked up eight wickets in his eight T20Is since debuting in November with a strike rate of 17.1.
No replacement was announced in the squad, and Pramod Madushan is the only other seamer available. He had been touted as a backup to Dushmantha Chameera ahead of the series, and will now likely slot in for Malinga.
With SLC delaying the announcement of their World Cup squad, it's unclear if Malinga will retain his spot or not in the 15. Any change to the squad post the January 31 squad announcement deadline would also require ICC's approval.
If they were to make a change however, Sri Lanka are spoilt for choice in the fast-bowling department. The two frontrunners are seemingly Madushan and Nuwan Thushara. Madushan will likely get to stake his claim in the third T20I, while Thushara has been key contributor to Sri Lanka's T20I exploits over the past year. The likes of Asitha Fernando, Binura Fernando and Dilshan Madushanka are also in contention, with the latter two the only left-armers.