Sri Lanka's captain, Dasun Shanaka, has been dealt a significant blow as he has been ruled out of the World Cup due to a right thigh muscle injury. Shanaka sustained the injury during their match against Pakistan on October 10 and is expected to require at least three weeks to recover. This forced Sri Lanka to seek a replacement, and the ICC Event Technical Committee has approved Chamika Karunaratne as Shanaka's replacement.
The injury comes as a blow for Sri Lanka who are one amongst the four teams to have not won a game yet in the World Cup.
"Karunaratne, who has played 23 ODIs, was named as a replacement after Shanaka was ruled out due to a right thigh muscle injury sustained during Sri Lanka's match against Pakistan on 10th October. The injury needs three weeks to recover," said the ICC in a statement while the Technical Committee approved the change.
Also Read: IND vs PAK, World Cup 2023 Match Report
Sri Lanka's campaign did not get off to a great start as they lost their opening two matches to South Africa and Pakistan. Despite the challenging circumstances, Shanaka had shown his prowess in the match against South Africa by scoring a remarkable 68 runs from 62 balls as Sri Lanka chased an imposing total of 429 in New Delhi.
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Chamika Karunaratne, the 27-year-old replacement, is a middle-order batter and right-arm medium pacer who has represented Sri Lanka in 23 ODIs. During his international career, he has taken 24 wickets and scored 443 runs, including a fifty. His inclusion will aim to bolster Sri Lanka's squad as they look to improve their performance in the ongoing World Cup.