Matheesha Pathirana's injury puts Sri Lanka's World Cup campaign in jeopardy, veteran named as replacement

The young Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana has been ruled out of World Cup 2023 with a shoulder injury. The veteran all-rounder Angelo Mathews has been named a replacement by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and has already joined the squad ahead of the England game on October 26.

The 20-year-old right-arm pacer suffered a shoulder injury during Sri Lanka's second game of the tournament against Pakistan in Hyderabad on October 10. Sri Lanka Cricket had already named all-rounder Angelo Mathews and speedster Dushmantha Chameera as travelling reserves and both players joined the camp on Friday (Oct 20). Mathews has been preferred over Chameera due to his vast experience and his ability to add helpful runs in middle overs.

The young pacer struggled to make an impact on his debut in the World Cup. Pathirana took two wickets in two innings but was poor with costly spells at an economy rate of 9.73. Apart from Dilshan Madushanka's 11 wickets, no Sri Lankan bowler has managed to get more



than five wickets in the tournament so far and injuries have depleted their playing combinations largely. 

Sri Lanka's struggles with consistent injuries also reflect their performance in the tournament. They lost their first three games before recording a narrow win against the Netherlands in Lucknow. Captain Dasun Shanaka has already been ruled out of the tournament due to a quadriceps tear and was replaced by pace all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne. 

Sri Lanka face a tough challenge when they clash against the defining champions England in their fifth game in Bengaluru on October 26. 

Sri Lanka World Cup Squad: Kusal Mendis (c), Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Kumara, Dimuth Karunaratne, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushan Hemantha, Chamika Karunaratne, Angelo Mathews, Matheesha Pathirana (ruled out), Dasun Shanaka (ruled out).