Lucknow, India

Injuries continue to mount for Sri Lanka in the World Cup 2023 and Matheesha Pathirana is the latest to join the list, getting ruled out for 8–10 days due to an inflammation in his bowling arm, per the latest reports. Worried about the situation, the Sri Lankan selectors have called in veteran all-rounder Angelo Mathews and seamer Dushmantha Chameera as part of the travelling reserves for the remainder of this tournament.

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Following the untimely injury to their captain Dasun Shanaka, who got ruled out from World Cup 2023, Sri Lanka picked all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne. With reports suggesting that Pathirana is out for over a week, Sri Lanka finds themselves in a dicey situation, having already suffered the wrath of playing poorly in three matches. In Shanaka’s absence, the batter in form, Kusal Mendis, captained Sri Lanka. 

Sri Lanka decided to include seamer Pramod Madushan in the first place but went ahead with seasoned campaigner Chameera after he regained full fitness. The right-arm pacer last played during the Afghanistan ODIs earlier this year but missed the World Cup Qualifiers and the Asia Cup with a shoulder injury. 

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Though Sri Lanka managed to win the CWC Qualifiers by beating the Netherlands in the final, the Islanders came second in the Asia Cup final, losing to India in the most one-sided contest in the tournament history.

ALSO READ: ODI World Cup 2023: 'One loss doesn't make us bad,' says Jonny Bairstow on England's horror campaign

Meanwhile, Wanindu Hasaranga continues to recover from the thigh injury he sustained during the Lankan Premier League (LPL), keeping him out of contention for a return.

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He recently underwent surgery and informed everyone of his health situation in a social media post soon after.

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Besides them, Sri Lanka’s ace spinner Maheesh Theekshana also missed the first two matches due to a hamstring injury. He returned to the XI for the Australia game, going wicket-less in seven overs, conceding 49 runs.

Can Sri Lanka still qualify for the World Cup semis?

With their back against the wall after losing the first three games in this World Cup, the chances of Sri Lanka reaching the semis look bleak. However, they are still in the race and can achieve the impossible if they win their remaining six matches with better NRR. 

While their bowling has come under the scanner for being ordinary, given South Africa smashed them for 417/7 in their first match - a cricket world record, Sri Lanka’s batting has come off well in all games. 

Captain Kusal Mendis will again hog the limelight when Sri Lanka take on the Netherlands in their next match on Saturday (Oct 21) in Lucknow. 

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