Wanindu Hasaranga’s dismissal in the third T20I against England was strange enough to catch the eye. But viewed alongside Sri Lanka’s recent record, it raises a broader question about a dismissal that is rare in international cricket.

Hasaranga made just seven off six balls at Southampton before his bat clipped the stumps on the follow-through after facing Jofra Archer. A bail came off and his innings ended in an unusually tame fashion.

It was Sri Lanka’s second hit-wicket dismissal of 2026.

In February, Dushan Hemantha was dismissed hit wicket against the same opposition after moving back in his crease and knocking the bails off with his bat.

Two incidents in the same year might still be dismissed as coincidence. The wider numbers, however, are harder to ignore.

Since January 2023, there have been just 15 hit-wicket dismissals involving the 12 ICC Full Members across Tests, ODIs and T20Is.

Sri Lanka account for five of them, or one-third of the total.

Afghanistan, Pakistan and Zimbabwe have recorded two each, while Australia, Bangladesh, India and West Indies have one apiece. England, Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa have not recorded a single hit-wicket dismissal during the period.

Sri Lanka’s five cases

The five Sri Lankan dismissals have involved five different batters:

Angelo Mathews was dismissed for 141 off 259 against Afghanistan in a Test in February 2024, off Qais Ahmad.

Sadeera Samarawickrama made 51 off 42 against Afghanistan in a T20I in February 2024 before being dismissed off Naveen-ul-Haq on the final ball of the innings.

Janith Liyanage was out for 12 off 17 against Bangladesh in an ODI in July 2025 after his bat contacted the stumps while he was moving backwards.

Dushan Hemantha made five off eight against England in February 2026 before knocking the bails off while moving back in his crease.

And then came Hasaranga, whose follow-through removed a bail after he had played at Archer in the third T20I in September.

There is no single pattern in the mechanics of the five dismissals. They happened in different formats, against different opponents and in different circumstances.

That matters.

T20 cricket accounts for most of the cases

The wider figures also show how unusual hit wicket remains.

Of the 15 dismissals recorded among the Full Members since January 2023, 10 have come in T20Is, compared with four in ODIs and just one in Tests.

That is understandable to an extent. T20 batting is built around aggressive strokeplay, rapid movement and taking risks. Batters can move deep into the crease or lose control of their body and bat while trying to generate power.

So there is a perfectly ordinary cricketing explanation for an individual hit-wicket dismissal.

The question becomes more interesting when one team accounts for five of the 15 cases.

Is there more to it?

This is where the discussion needs to be handled carefully.

There is no evidence in these figures that any of the five Sri Lankan dismissals were connected to match-fixing or corrupt activity. A statistical concentration, however unusual, does not establish such a link.

Hasaranga’s dismissal has nevertheless generated public speculation about whether there could be something more behind the incident.

That should not be confused with evidence.

But neither should the broader pattern simply be ignored.

Five hit-wicket dismissals among 12 Full Members in less than four years is unusual. Four different Sri Lankan batters are involved. Two of the five have come against England in 2026.

That does not prove a connection between the incidents. It does raise a question about whether the pattern is purely coincidental, related to technique and training, or something that integrity officials would want to examine more closely.

If there is nothing more to it, the answer should be straightforward.

If there are genuine concerns about corrupt conduct, however, those concerns can only be established through evidence and proper investigation, not by reading too much into a scorecard.

For now, the numbers tell a simple story: Sri Lanka have recorded five of the 15 hit-wicket dismissals involving the ICC Full Members since January 2023.

That may be nothing more than an unusual statistical quirk.

But when a rare dismissal occurs this often for one team, it is reasonable to ask the question:

Are these simply five bizarre dismissals, or is there something deeper that deserves a closer look?

2024

Angelo Mathews — 141 vs Afghanistan | Test | Hit wicket
Sadeera Samarawickrama — 51 vs Afghanistan | T20I | Hit wicket

2025

Janith Liyanage — 12 vs Bangladesh | ODI | Hit wicket

2026

Dushan Hemantha — 5 vs England | T20I | Hit wicket
Wanindu Hasaranga — 7 vs England | T20I | Hit wicket