World T20: Malinga replaced by spinner Vandersay for SL

Pacer Lasith Malinga, who had flown back to Sri Lanka owing to injury, has been replaced by left-arm spinner Jeffrey Vandersay in Sri Lanka's squad for the ongoing ICC World Twenty20 in India.

Lasith Malinga has played only one international match since November, 2015.

Sri Lanka on Saturday replaced injured paceman Lasith Malinga with 26-year-old leg spinner Jeffrey Vandersay as the country moved to defend its World Twenty20 title in India. Sri Lanka Cricket said Vandersay, who has played in four Twenty20 matches and taken one wicket conceding 115 runs, was a "potential future sensation".

He was sent to India a day after Malinga, 32, flew back home from the T20 World Cup in India without having played a single match. Malinga, earlier, presided over a dismal performance by Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup where it was beaten by little-fancied Bangladesh, and only just scraped past the United Arab Emirates.

Sri Lanka won the last World Twenty20 in Bangladesh in 2014, but the team has been badly weakened by the retirements of star batsmen Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene.

Vandersay has played three Twenty20 Internationals and four One-Day Internationals for Sri Lanka.