Hasaranga denied NOC to play in the Hundred, forced to pull out of £100,000 contract
ESPNcricinfo understands Manchester Originals have signed South African batter Tristan Stubbs as his replacement
Matt Roller and Andrew Fidel Fernando
04-Aug-2022
Wanindu Hasaranga has become an important part of Sri Lanka's white-ball set-up • AFP/Getty Images
Wanindu Hasaranga has been denied a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) to play in the Hundred by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and has been forced to pull out of his £100,000 contract with Manchester Originals as a result.
Ashley de Silva, SLC's chief executive, told ESPNcricinfo that the board turned down his request because they want him to be physically and mentally fresh ahead of the Asia Cup, which starts on August 27, and the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year.
Originals had previously expected Hasaranga to miss the Hundred due to a clash with the Lanka Premier League, before that tournament was postponed. They will have the option to retain him for the 2023 season if they can agree a contract with him.
ESPNcricinfo understands Tristan Stubbs, the middle-order batter who hit 72 off 28 balls in the first T20l against England last week, has been signed as a replacement and will link up with Originals after South Africa's second T20I against Ireland on Friday.
Originals play their first game of the 2022 season against Northern Superchargers at Emirates Old Trafford on Friday night and are likely to fill their three overseas slots with Andre Russell, Ashton Turner and Sean Abbott. Turner is expected to drop out of the XI when Stubbs is available and then return to the side when Russell leaves for the CPL, which starts on September 1.
Elsewhere, Welsh Fire confirmed on Thursday that Naseem Shah has withdrawn from the tournament after his selection for Pakistan's tour to the Netherlands and the Asia Cup. Naseem did not play in Fire's defeat to Southern Brave on the opening night and will not link up with the squad. They are yet to announce a replacement.
Birmingham Phoenix have brought in Brett D'Oliveira, the Worcestershire allrounder, and Timm van der Gugten, the Glamorgan seamer, as injury replacements for Tom Abell and Olly Stone respectively. "We're delighted to add two experienced players to the Phoenix men's squad," Craig Flindall, their general manager, said.