Injured Sri Lanka Captain Dasun Shanaka Ruled Out for Remainder of World Cup

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) announced on Saturday that their captain, Dasun Shanaka, has been ruled out for the remainder of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup due to injury. This development comes as a significant blow to the Sri Lankan team as they navigate their campaign in the prestigious tournament.

🚨 The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 has approved Chamika Karunaratne as a replacement for Dasun Shanaka in the Sri Lankan squad.

Karunaratne who has played 23 ODIs, was named as a replacement after Shanaka was ruled out due to a right thigh… pic.twitter.com/pgejuMWjVw

— Sri Lanka Cricket 🇱🇰 (@OfficialSLC) October 14, 2023

The decision to replace Dasun Shanaka was formally approved by the Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. In his stead, all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne has been named as the replacement player in the Sri Lankan squad. This announcement was made official through a statement released by SLC on their social media platforms.

Karunaratne, who has represented Sri Lanka in 23 One-Day Internationals (ODIs), was chosen to step in after Shanaka suffered a right thigh muscle injury during Sri Lanka’s match against Pakistan on October 10. Medical assessments have determined that Shanaka will require at least three weeks to recover from this injury. The ICC rules stipulate that the replacement of a player must be approved by the Event Technical Committee before the new player can be officially added to the squad.

Dasun Shanaka sustained the quad injury during Sri Lanka’s World Cup clash against Pakistan, which subsequently led to scans revealing the extent of the injury and the need for an extended period of rest and recovery. The Sri Lankan team, with the consent of the Event Technical Committee, will now move forward with Chamika Karunaratne as part of their squad.

Chamika Karunaratne, a 27-year-old all-rounder, has been traveling with the Sri Lankan team as a reserved player. Although he last featured in a T20I against New Zealand at the beginning of April, Karunaratne boasts more than 60 appearances for his country in all three formats of the game.

Sri Lanka will face five-time champions Australia, who are still searching for their first win in this World Cup, at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Monday. Sri Lanka’s World Cup campaign has seen them secure one victory in the two matches they’ve played so far.