Sri Lanka hit with another injury blow, Pathirana ruled out of World Cup

Sri Lanka has suffered yet another blow, with pace bowler Matheesha Pathirana being ruled out of the ICC World Cup 2023, sources told Ada Derana.

Pathirana was last seen in Sri Lanka’s match against Pakistan, during which he sustained a shoulder injury, which subsequently forced him out of Sri Lanka’s all-important fixtures against Australia and Netherlands.

He is yet to recover from his injuries, and thus, has been ruled out of Sri Lanka’s squad as per a request made to the International Cricket Council (ICC) by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).

Accordingly, while a replacement for the key pace bowler is yet to be officially announced, Dushmantha Chameera is slated to take his position, cricket sources reported.

Meanwhile, it was reported that although lead spinner Maheesh Theekshana too suffered a hamstring injury during Sri Lanka’s match against the Netherlands in Lucknow on Saturday (21 Oct.), his injuries remain non-critical, as per medical evidence.

Theekshana picked up the injury while going for a catch during the Netherlands’ first-innings batting effort at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. The 23-year-old rising limited-overs force, renowned for his ability to turn the ball both ways with his sharp variations at a lower, skiddier trajectory, was seen holding his leg in excruciating pain after hurting his hamstring. 

A subsequent MRI scan, however, confirmed that Theekshana’s injuries were not too serious.