Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) on Tuesday announced their squad for the upcoming ICC men’s cricket World Cup 2023, which will be held from October 5 to November 19 in India. Dasun Shanaka will lead the 15-member squad, which will be without star all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga. Kusal Mendis will be the vice captain.
Sri Lanka squad:
Dasun Shanaka (C), Kusal Mendis (VC), Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dushan Hemantha, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana, Lahiru Kumara, Dilshan Madushanka
Travelling Reserve : Chamika Karunaratne
Lahiru Kumara and Dilshan Madushanka, who were unable to play in the recently concluded Asia Cup due to injuries, have been named in the World Cup squad, while Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera have not been included in this squad.
“Wanindu Hasaranga has not been included in the 15-member squad as the player is still in the process of recovering from an injury. His recovery will be monitored, and if he is declared fit to play, he will be considered as a replacement in the event of an injury to a squad member during the tournament” a SLC release on Tuesday said.
Legspin-bowling allrounder Dushan Hemantha has replaced Hasaranga in Sri Lanka’s squad for the World Cup.
Hasaranga first sustained an injury to his right hamstring during the 2023 Lanka Premier League. Then Wanindu got injured again a few days ago while he was doing his rehabilitation process.
Although an attempt was made to include Hasaranga in the World Cup squad, Cricnow previously reported that he is not medically fit to play in the tournament due to this injury.
Maheesh Theekshana, who missed the Asia Cup final due to a hamstring injury, has been included in the World Cup squad.
Chameera, who has not fully recovered from an injury, previously missed the 2022 Asia Cup, the 2022 T20 World Cup (played only one match), and the 2023 Asia Cup due to injuries.
Pramod Madushan and Binura Fernando, who were included in the Sri Lanka squad for the Asia Cup, have lost their places in the squad.
Chamika Karunaratne has been named as a reserve player for the World Cup.
The Sri Lankan team is scheduled to leave for India tonight.
Sri Lanka will begin their World Cup campaign against South Africa on October 7 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
The Lankan Lions will then take on Pakistan on October 10 and then face Australia on October 16.
The 1996 World Cup Champions will play their next four matches against the Netherlands, England, Afghanistan, and India, respectively, before playing their final two league-stage matches against Bangladesh and New Zealand.
The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 is the 13th edition of the tournament, and 10 teams will be part of this year’s World Cup.
The tournament will be played in a round-robin format, with the top four teams going on to the semi-finals.
Sri Lanka reveals its squad for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023!
Let’s rally behind the #LankanLions 🦁👊#CWC23 pic.twitter.com/niLO7C7RPY
— Sri Lanka Cricket 🇱🇰 (@OfficialSLC) September 26, 2023
