Sri Lanka opener Pathum Nissanka has been ruled out of the ODI tri-series in Pakistan, as he has not sufficiently recovered from the left hamstring injury he sustained during Sri Lanka’s limited-overs tour of England. He has been replaced by Lahiru Udara, who has played five Tests and seven T20Is for Sri Lanka, but is yet to make his ODI debut.

Nissanka’s inclusion in the 16-member squad for the tri-series was subject to fitness but he hasn’t recovered from his injury.

Having been dropped from the Test squad for the forthcoming series against Pakistan, the ODIs are a significant opportunity for Udara, 32, to embed himself at the top level. His Test ouster was not without controversy: Udara had struck 188 against West Indies in July, though he has not passed 30 in five Test innings since.

But his 91 off 55 in the first T20I against Pakistan – Sri Lanka’s highest individual score of the series – has earned him a further white-ball call-up. Udara averages 32.09 at a strike rate of 85.97 across 97 List A innings.

The loss of Nissanka is significant for a Sri Lanka side that has struggled for momentum all year, particularly in limited-overs cricket. Among Sri Lanka batters, only new captain Kusal Mendis has scored more than Nissanka’s 1,324 ODI runs since 2024. Nissanka now races against time to be fit for the opening Test against Pakistan, which gets underway in Rawalpindi on November 9.

The tri-series, which involves Pakistan and England, begins on Sunday, with Pakistan and Sri Lanka playing the opener.