ODI World Cup 2023: Lahiru Kumara Injured, Dushmantha Chameera steps in as replacement for Sri Lanka

Lahiru Kumara's World Cup journey has been cut short due to a left thigh injury, prompting Sri Lanka to enlist the services of Dushmantha Chameera as his replacement.

Sri Lanka's fast bowler, Lahiru Kumara, has been ruled out of the World Cup due to a left thigh injury sustained during a training session in Pune, where Sri Lanka is slated to face Afghanistan in their next tournament fixture on Monday. His replacement in the Sri Lankan squad is Dushmantha Chameera, making him the third player to join as an injury replacement since the tournament's commencement.

Dushmantha Chameera had previously been unable to secure a spot in Sri Lanka's World Cup squad due to fitness concerns. He initially suffered a torn pectoral muscle before the World Cup qualifier in Zimbabwe and subsequently encountered another injury during the Lanka Premier League in August.

Chameera, along with Angelo Mathews, was added to the touring squad on October 19 as a traveling reserve and has now been promoted to the primary squad. Angelo Mathews had earlier stepped in as a replacement for Matheesha Pathirana, who suffered a shoulder injury, while Chamika Karunaratne took the place of the regular captain Dasun Shanaka, sidelined with a quad injury.

Chameera's inclusion in the squad would have likely been an automatic choice under normal circumstances. Sri Lanka may have wished to retain Kumara, especially after his standout performance against England on October 26, where he earned the Player of the Match title. In that game, Kumara secured three crucial wickets, including those of Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone, and Ben Stokes, contributing to Sri Lanka's eight-wicket victory, which marked their second win in five tournament matches.

Sri Lanka's updated World Cup squad:

Kusal Mendis (captain, wicketkeeper), Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Dushmantha Chameera, Dimuth Karunaratne, Sadeera Samarawickrama (wicketkeeper), Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, Angelo Mathews, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushan Hemantha, Chamika Karunaratne.