CWC 2023: Sri Lanka names Angelo Mathews as replacement of Matheesha Pathirana for World Cup

Mathews has linked up with the Sri Lanka side before Netherlands game.

Sri Lanka team management has brought in veteran all-rounder Angelo Mathews as a replacement for injured pacer Matheesha Pathirana for the rest of the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 tournament. Sri Lanka has lost 3 matches out of 4 played and is placed 9^th on the CWC points table.

Pathirana had suffered a shoulder injury while playing Pakistan in Hyderabad on October 10 and was ruled out of Sri Lanka's subsequent matches against Australia and Netherlands.

Before his injury, Pathirana was taken for as many as 185 runs in the 19 overs that he had bowled across matches against South Africa and Pakistan, with an economy rate of almost 10.

Former captain Mathews, 36, last played an ODI against Afghanistan in June. He comes with plenty of experience on this stage though, having played in the World Cups in 2011, 2015, and 2019. He was Sri Lanka's captain during the 2015 edition.

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Mathews has already joined the Sri Lanka squad after he was called up as a traveling reserve alongside fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera.

Earlier Sri Lanka had lost the services of captain Dasun Shanaka due to a quadriceps tear, which he had picked up during the match against Pakistan. Chamika Karunaratne had taken Shanaka's place in Sri Lanka's squad, with wicketkeeper-batter Kusal Mendis standing in as captain.