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As the excitement for the ODI World Cup 2023 in India soars higher with every passing match, it has also left fans disappointed with some star players sustaining injuries. Among all, the one team that faced a major injury setback in the ongoing tournament was Sri Lanka, as their skipper Dasun Shanaka was ruled out of the tournament due to a right thigh muscle injury.
The concerns for Islanders did not end here as their young bowler Matheesha Pathirana also got sidelined from action for at least ten days due to an inflammation in his bowling arm.
Angelo Mathews and Dushmantha Chameera set to join Sri Lanka squad
In response to concerns surrounding injuries within the team, the Sri Lankan selectors recently made a significant decision to call up two experienced players to their squad in the form of veteran all-rounder Angelo Mathews and the talented seamer Dushmantha Chameera.
Sri Lanka Cricket took to their official X (formerly Twitter) account to confirm that Mathews and Chameera will join Sri Lanka’s World Cup squad as travelling reserves. This development is noteworthy, especially considering that Chameera had initially missed the cut for Sri Lanka’s World Cup 2023 squad due to injury issues.
Sri Lanka Cricket wishes to announce that Angelo Mathews and Dushmantha Chameera will join the team in India as traveling reserves.
The Sri Lanka Cricket Selectors took this decision in order to ensure that the team has ready replacements in place to face contingencies, such as… pic.twitter.com/k6g3hm7vBA
— Sri Lanka Cricket 🇱🇰 (@OfficialSLC) October 19, 2023
Also READ: Meet the wives and girlfriends of Sri Lanka cricketers
What led to Angelo Mathews’ surprise inclusion?
As far as Mathews’s inclusion is concerned, it has raised some eyebrows with him not being in the selectors’ plans for limited-overs cricket since 2021. Although he was given a second chance when Sri Lanka toured New Zealand in March, his dismal performances forced him out of the team. Nevertheless, his inclusion in the World Cup squad is a testament to the management’s recognition of his vast experience and ability to solve Sri Lanka’s ongoing middle-order woes.
Notably, Mathews has an impressive international ODI record with over 5,000 runs in 221 matches and 120 wickets to his name. However, his inclusion into the 15-man squad is still far away as that would require one existing player from the team to be ruled out.
Dushmantha Chameera’s inclusion and possible role
On the other hand, Chameera last played for Sri Lanka in June against Afghanistan and featured in the warm-up matches of the World Cup qualifiers. His ability to provide pace and accuracy makes him a vital asset to the team, and he can serve as an excellent replacement for Pathirana if the young pacer is unable to fully recover from his injury.
