Veteran Angelo Mathews has been drafted into Sri Lanka’s squad for World Cup 2023 as a replacement for Matheesha Pathirana.
“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,” confirmed the ICC in a media release.
The news comes as a boost of sorts for Sri Lanka who have so far lost three out of their four games and are currently placed 9th on the points table.
Mathews had earlier been drafted into the squad as a travelling reserve and has been present in the practice sessions in Bengaluru, where Sri Lanka are set to take on England on Thursday, October 26.
The side had earlier suffered a setback when skipper Dasun Shanaka, who is still doing rehab with the team, was ruled out of the tournament due to a thigh injury. Subsequently, Chamika Karunaratne had been drafted into the squad. Mathews is the second injury replacement in the squad so far.