Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka ruled out of World Cup 2023

DELHI: The Sri Lanka cricket team has suffered a major blow as captain Dasun Shanaka will miss the remainder of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 due to injury.

Dasun Shanaka picked up a quad injury during Sri Lanka’s World Cup clash against Pakistan on Tuesday and scans have since revealed that the hard-hitting all-rounder will be sidelined for a minimum of three weeks.

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Sri Lanka have opted to replace Shanaka in their squad with fellow all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne, with the move approved by the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Event Technical Committee on Saturday.

Karunaratne is already in India and has been travelling with the team as their reserve player and could come into contention to play Sri Lanka’s next match against Australia in Lucknow on Monday.

The 27-year-old hasn’t played for Sri Lanka since he appeared in a T20I against New Zealand at the start of April, but has made more than 60 appearances for his country in all three formats.

In-form batter Kusal Mendis is the vice-captain of Sri Lanka’s squad and is expected to step up and take the captaincy reins in the absence of Dasun Shanaka.

Earlier in the World Cup 2023, Pakistan beat Sri Lanka in a record-breaking 345-run chase at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi Stadium.

Pakistan made it two wins from two World Cup matches as batsmen Mohammad Rizwan and Abdullah Shafique hit centuries in a record run-chase to set up a six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

Chasing a daunting 345 after Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama smashed tons to put Sri Lanka in a commanding position, the 1992 champions got over the line in 48.2 overs thanks to Rizwan’s 131 not out and Abdullah’s 113.

Ireland had held the previous record for the highest run chase in World Cups with 329 against England in the 2011 edition.