Dasun Shanaka ruled out of World Cup 2023

Dasun Shanaka has been ruled out of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. The ODI captain Sri Lanka will not be playing the rest of the tournament in India due to a thigh injury. Chamika Karunaratne has been added to the squad. Karunaratne was already on the standby list for Sri Lanka in the ongoing World Cup.

What Happened?

As per an ICC statement, Dasun Shanaka sustained a right thigh muscle injury during the match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan on October 10. Reportedly he will need at least three weeks to recover and hence he has been ruled out of the tournament. “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.

Kusal Mendis who is the designated vice-captain of Sri Lanka is expected to take over as captain for the rest of matches in the tournament. This comes as a blow to the side but is an opportunity for Karunaratne who has not played an ODI for Sri Lanka since March this year.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka have lost both the matches they have played so far in the World Cup. With two defeats, they are standing in seventh position without any points behind Bangladesh. No wonder, they will be missing the service of Shanaka in the important clashes scheduled in the coming days. Sri Lanka will take on Australia on October 16 at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow.