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Sri Lanka pacer Lahiru Kumara has been ruled out of the ongoing ODI World Cup following his left thigh injury that he sustained during training in Pune, where Sri Lanka will play their next game of the extravagant tournament against Afghanistan on Monday.
Kumara has been replaced in the Sri Lanka squad by Dushmantha Chameera who became the third player to come in as an injury replacement for Sri Lanka after Chamika Karunaratne and Angelo Mathews. Chameera was one of the key players whom Sri Lanka couldn't fit into their World Cup squad earlier because of fitness issues. However, he was initially out of action with a torn pectoral muscle, which he suffered ahead of the World Cup qualifier and after recovering from that, he injured himself again in the Lanka Premier League in August. Angelo Mathews had earlier replaced Matheesha Pathirana, while Chamika Karunaratne had come in for regular captain Dasun Shanaka. Meanwhile, Chameera would have been an automatic pick in the Sri Lanka squad under ordinary circumstances, Sri Lanka wanted Kumara in the mix too, especially after his Player of the Match performance against England on October 26. Lahiru Kumar picked up three crucial wickets in Sri Lanka's last game against England and dismissed Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone and Ben Stokes. In Sri Lanka's previous game of the ODI World Cup 2023, Kusal Mendis' side won by eight wickets, only their second win in five games in the prestigious tournament so far. Sri Lanka's updated World Cup squad: Kusal Mendis (C/Wk), Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Dushmantha Chameera, Dimuth Karunaratne, Sadeera Samarawickrama (Wk), Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, Angelo Mathews, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushan Hemantha, Chamika Karunaratne. (ANI)
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