Injuries plague Sri Lankan camp

By Champika Fernando in Bengaluru

Seamer Matheesha Pathirana is likely to be ruled out of the World Cup due to a right shoulder injury. The 20-year-old didn’t feature in Sri Lanka’s last two matches against Australia and Netherlands and will not play a further part in the 13th edition of the Men’s ICC World Cup as he is still experiencing pain in his bowling arm.

Pathirana has complained about pain in his right shoulder after Pakistan’s match in Hyderabad. An MRI scan performed showed a shoulder contusion and was on a 10-day rehabilitation program to get back to the game. The Daily Mirror understands his condition has not improved as he is still unable to bowl or throw without pain. Accordingly, the team management has requested the World Cup Event Technical Committee to release him from the squad, in order to facilitate a replacement.

Pathirana has played two matches in the tournament and has picked up only two wickets conceding 185 runs at almost ten runs per over.Sri Lanka Cricket on Thursday added veteran batter Angelo Mathews and seamer Dushmantha Chameera as travelling reserves but are yet to make a decision on Pathirana’s replacement. Both Mathews and Chameera joined the team in Lucknow on Friday and will join the team’s first training session in Bengaluru this evening.

Meanwhile, spinner Maheesh Theekshana who suffered a hamstring injury during Sri Lanka’s nervy 5-wicket win over Netherlands Saturday was taken for a scan after the team’s arrival in Bengaluru last afternoon.Theekshana completed his 10 overs for 44 runs, taking the wicket of Netherlands’s skipper Scott Edwards. But he was in pain, touching his right hamstring, the one that has given him trouble during the last few weeks.Theekshana first injured his hamstring while fielding in the match against Pakistan during the Asia Cup and was subsequently ruled out of the Asia Cup final. This raised concerns about his availability for the World Cup. Although he made it to India, he missed the first game and looked a pale shadow of the player he was since returning to the side.

Meanwhile, injured skipper Dasun Shanaka still remains with the team, going through his rehabilitation program. Shanaka suffered a right thigh injury during his side’s loss to Pakistan.With three weeks to recover, he was replaced by Chamika Karunaratne in the 15-player squad. Sri Lanka will play England on Thursday in their fifth World Cup match.