ODI World Cup 2023

AUS vs SL: Ahead of Virtual do-or-die game, Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka gets ruled out of the tournament

In the 14th match of the ODI World Cup 2023, five-time world champion Australia will face 1996 champions Sri Lanka. In the virtual do-or-die match, both teams will look to register their first win of the tournament. Sri Lanka is eighth in the points table after losing its first two games against South Africa and Pakistan. Meanwhile, Australia is shockingly last in the table after losing its first two games against India and South Africa.

However, ahead of the game, Sri Lanka faced a huge setback as their skipper, Dasun Shanaka, was ruled out of the tournament. The South Asian giants were already suffering from injuries, and they stepped up their challenge against the mighty Aussies. Shanka has been ruled out due to a thigh injury. He has been replaced by Chamika Karunaratne. However, vice-captain Kusal Mendis will take charge of the team as a reminder of the tournament.

Shanka was injured while playing against Pakistan at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. He is likely to take at least three weeks to recover from the injury, and until then, Sri Lanka would have played seven of their group matches. The Sri Lankan cricket board has made a like-for-like replacement as Karunaratne is a seam-bowling all-rounder.

Dasun Shanaka had failed to perform for Sri Lanka

It’s worth noting that Shanaka has been struggling with his batting performance in recent months. He managed to cross 35 runs only once in his last 15 ODI innings, including the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe. Despite this, his captaincy saw the team’s success, remaining unbeaten in the qualifier and reaching the Asia Cup final after beating Pakistan and Bangladesh.

However, the team’s performance in the ongoing ODI World Cup has been disappointing with losses against South Africa and Pakistan. In these two matches, Sri Lanka conceded a massive 775 runs. This situation might prompt the team to consider the inclusion of a bowling all-rounder, adding to the team’s balance. This might also be termed a lack of quality spinners in the squad. It will be interesting to see if Sri Lanka can do something amazing against Australia.