World Cup 2023: Angelo Mathews replaces injured Matheesha Pathirana in Sri Lanka squad

Veteran Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Matthews replaced pacer Matheesha Pathirana, who was injured. It remains to be seen whether Matthews can infuse new energy into the Sri Lankan squad for the remainder of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

Hyderabad: Veteran Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews on Tuesday replaced injured pacer Matheesha Pathirana in the team's squad ahead of their match against England on Thursday. Matheesha Pathirana had sustained a shoulder injury during Sri Lanka's match against Pakistan in Hyderabad, and the 20-year-old quick did not play in the subsequent games against five-time champions Australia and Netherlands.

For Matthews, a seasoned campaigner, this is the fourth World Cup since the 2011 edition. The 36-year-old has played 221 ODIs for Sri Lanka and has amassed 5,865 runs with three hundred and 40 fifties and has also taken 120 wickets in the format. Sri Lanka had recalled him as a traveling reserve last week along with pacer Dushmantha Chameera after he was sidelined in their original World Cup squad.

Pathirana is the second Sri Lankan player to be ruled out of the World Cup after regular captain Dasun Shanaka flew back home with a quadriceps tear, an injury that warranted at least three weeks of recovery time. Chamika Karunaratne was named as Shanaka's replacement. Kusal Mendis has stepped in as Lankan captain in place of Dasun Shanaka.

Sri Lanka is currently languishing at the ninth spot in the standings with one win and three losses from four games. They will need to win all their remaining fixtures to remain in the hunt for making the semifinals.