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Ahead of the Asia Cup 2023, Sri Lanka's bowling attack has taken a further hit with pacer Dilshan Madushanka being ruled out of the tournament due to injury and Lahiru Kumara also likely to be unavailable for the event.
This comes after pacer Dushmantha Chameera was also ruled out of the tournament. Leg-spin all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga is also recovering from a grade two thigh strain and might not feature in the competition, as per ESPNCricinfo. However, a lot in case of Hasaranga depends on his speed of recovery and Sri Lanka's longevity in the competition. In any case, Hasaranga looks unlikely to play in the group stage. Madushanka suffered a torn oblique muscle during a practice match on Friday and may be battling to regain his peak fitness ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup in India from October 5 onwards. Professor Arjuna de Silva, Sri Lanka Cricket's medical committee chairman told ESPNCricinfo that Chameera's pectoral injury puts his status as a starter in the World Cup under serious doubt. Kumara is facing a side strain, a recurring injury. Though his recovery time is not expected to be as long as Chameera and Madushanka, it may still put him out of action till the conclusion of the Asia Cup. Kumara, Chameera and Madushanka are some of Sri Lanka's quickest bowlers and their absence will create a void hard to fill. In their absence, Kasun Rajitha, Pramod Madushan and Matheesha Pathirana will try to fill their shoes. Hasaranga could be replaced by either left-arm spin all-rounder Dunith Wellalage, his side can get a replacement in leg-spin all-rounder Dushan Hemantha as well. Sri Lanka will kickstart their campaign against Bangladesh on Thursday and then will face Afghanistan in group stages. (ANI)
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