Why Is Matheesha Pathirana Missing Sri Lanka’s Asia Cup Match Against Hong Kong?

Sri Lanka chose to bowl first after winning the toss against Hong Kong in their second Asia Cup 2025 match. They were excellent in their first game against Bangladesh, with both bat and ball, and will look to keep up the same momentum today.

There’s one change in their playing XI Matheesha Pathirana has been replaced by Maheesh Theekshana. This means Sri Lanka have gone with only two fast bowlers, while Theekshana will team up with Wanindu Hasaranga to take charge of the spin attack.

The decision to rest Pathirana makes sense. The Dubai pitch is quite dry and is expected to help spinners more than pacers. Theekshana can be a match-winner on such pitches and could trouble the Hong Kong batters.

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Pathirana also didn’t have the best outing against Bangladesh, going wicketless and conceding 42 runs. On top of that, he has a history of injuries, so the team wants to manage his workload carefully and keep him fresh for bigger matches later in the tournament. With Dushmantha Chameera and Nuwan Thushara will lead the pace attack , Sri Lanka will hope their bowlers can get the job done and keep their winning run alive.