Angelo Matthews Approved as Matheesha Pathirana's Replacement in Sri Lanka's World Cup Squad

ICC have approved Angelo Matthews as replacement for the injured Matheesha Pathirana who has been ruled out for the remainder of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. A statement from Sri Lanka Cricket on Tuesday confirmed the development.

Matthews had earlier joined the Sri Lankan squad in India as a travelling reserve along with Dushmantha Chameera as the duo were called to Lucknow in case of injuries to the squad.

Pathirana had sustained a shoulder injury during Sri Lanka’s match against Pakistan in Hyderabad.

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He missed out on the Australia and The Netherlands games due to his rehabilitation process but was expected to return in time for the game against England at Bengaluru. As it turned out, the right arm quick failed to recover from the issue, and he has subsequently travelled back to Sri Lanka, with Matthews called in as his replacement.

“The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 has approved Angelo Mathews as a replacement for Matheesha Pathirana in the Sri Lanka squad,” read the statement from SLC.

“Mathews, who has played 221 ODIs, was named as a replacement after Pathirana failed to recover from a shoulder injury sustained during a warm-up match and was subsequently ruled out of the tournament,” the statement added.

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Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka cricket body confirmed that Maheesh Theekshana has recovered from the issue he sustained against the Netherlands, and will feature in their next game against England.

“Maheesh Theekshana, who suffered a pain in his right leg during the match against the Netherlands, has fully recovered,” wrote SLC on social media platform X.

“An MRI scan taken of the player showed no new injury or aggravation of his recent hamstring injury, which Theekshana sustained during the concluded Asia Cup 2023. He took part in team practices today and will be available for selection for Sri Lanka’s upcoming contest against England,” they informed further.