Kusal Perera ruled out of first two ODIs

Sri Lanka's Kusal Perera has been ruled out of the first two ODIs against Bangladesh, after sustaining a hamstring strain during Wednesday's warm-up match in Colombo, Sri Lanka's cricket manager Asanka Gurusinha confirmed.

The wicketkeeper-batsman's strain- to his left thigh - was a "very minor" one, Gurusinha said, and though there was a chance Kusal could be fit enough to play in the second ODI in Dambulla on March 28, the selectors have chosen to keep Kusal in Colombo while the team travels to Dambulla, reports ESPNcricinfo.

A replacement is expected to be named on Thursday or Friday, but Kusal will rejoin the squad ahead of the third ODI at the SSC on April 1, provided he recovers as expected. Perera was making a comeback to the limited-overs squad after being dropped from the tours of Australia and South Africa due to a poor run of form.

The three-match ODI series between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh starts on Saturday (March 25).