Matheesha Pathirana Ruled Out; Angelo Mathews Joins Sri Lanka's World Cup 2023 Squad
Pathirana played the first two games of the World Cup 2023
An untimely shoulder injury has put paid to young Matheesha Pathirana's dream of further representing his country at the ICC World Cup 2023, paving the way for the late inclusion of experienced middle-order batter Angelo Mathews in the squad for the marquee competition.
Pathirana's absence for the remainder of Sri Lanka's campaign was confirmed on Tuesday (October 24) as the selectors have announced Mathews as the replacement for the injured fast-bowler.
In an unexpected swap, Sri Lanka haven't roped in travelling reserve pacer Dushmantha Chameera but specialist batter Angelo Mathews in their squad ahead of the next league-stage fixture on Thursday (October 26) versus defending champions England at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.
The selectors had earlier called in Chameera and Mathews to link up with the main playing contingent and act as potential backups in case of further injuries in the camp.
Mathews joins SL squad after injury to Pathirana
The Lankan Lions, who had lost regular skipper Dasun Shanaka with an injury, suffered another blow ahead of the Netherlands clash in Lucknow last Saturday (October 21) when preferred opening batter Kusal Perera was ruled out of the fixture with concussion issues.
Mindful of Sri Lanka's enormous task at hand to revert the injury trend and their poor on-field results, the decision-makers had put in place Chameera and Matthews in place as travelling reserves for stand-in captain Kusal Mendis to choose in case of another injury.
In a discussion with the team management, the selectors on Tuesday decided to name Mathews in their squad as a replacement for Pathirana, who played only the first two matches before being sidelined for a shoulder concern.
The decision seems based on Sri Lanka's batting problems in the tournament rather than injury concerns for the young pacer, which could've opened doors for express quick Chameera. Matthews brings a wealth of experience to a Sri Lankan outfit that has struggled in either department in their first five matches of the campaign.
The 1996 champions have suffered three defeats in their four games, their only victory coming against the inexperienced Dutch side. Placed ninth in the table, they enter a near must-win encounter versus the Englishmen in Bangalore.
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