Sri Lanka add three more players to T20 World Cup group as injuries continue

Asitha Fernando and Matheesha Pathirana and Niroshan Dickwella will travel to Australia, alongside Tim McCaskill, head of Sri Lanka Cricket's high-performance center

Nick Howson | 27/10/2022 at 05:42

Sri Lanka have called up three more players to their T20 World Cup party in response to their mounting injury issues.

Seamers Asitha Fernando and Matheesha Pathirana and wicketkeeper-batter Niroshan Dickwella will travel to Australia as cover.

Tim McCaskill, head of Sri Lanka Cricket's high-performance center, will arrive with the trio.

Binura Fernando joined the Asia Cup winners' lengthening casualty list during the defeat to Australia in Perth.

The left-armer lasted five deliveries of the first over of the Australia chase before going off with a hamstring injury.

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^{Dickwella's last T20I came in England in 2021 (Alex Davidson/Getty Images)}

Fernando was originally a replacement for Dilshan Madushanka, who along with Danushka Gunathilaka and Dushmantha Chameera have already been forced to withdraw.

Pramod Madushan is also struggling having not played since the round one match against United Arab Emirates.

Ashen Bandara and Kasun Rajitha have also been added to the main group. Praveen Jayawickrema, Dinesh Chandimal and Nuwanidu Fernando are currently part of the standby list.

Asked about the continual flow of injuries during the post-match presentation at the Perth Stadium, captain Dasun Shanaka bemoaned the constant turnover of players. "I think the fast bowlers especially are not prepared well," he admitted. "They are coming after injury so I think that's the reason behind them getting injured most of the time."

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^{Pathirana has only played a single T20I for Sri Lanka (ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images)}

Speaking to the after the seven-wicket defeat, head coach Chris Silverwood was at a loss to explain the predicament.

"Obviously we're having a bit of bad luck around injuries at the moment, especially, as you said, in the pace stock," he said.

"Any injury in a team obviously in a World Cup is hard work. Obviously, we will take stock of where everybody is at the moment and make plans from there.

"It's too early to get too many answers at the moment, so we will just have to obviously see where the guys are, and once the physio gives a report we will make plans, but it's too early to say too much at the moment."

Sri Lanka, winners in 2014, are back in action against New Zealand (October 29) in Brisbane before rounding off their Group One campaign against Afghanistan (November 1) and England (November 5).