Sri Lankan pacer Dilshan Madushanka is likely to be ruled out of the ICC T20 World Cup after he sustained a tear in his quadriceps on eve of Sri Lanka’s campaign opener against Namibia. As per ESPNCricinfo, the bowler was seen struggling and hobbling away from practice sessions on Saturday and was sent to get his MRI scans done, which confirmed the injury. It is not expected that he will recover to play the remainder of the tournament and will most likely be replaced.
Dilshan made his debut during the recently concluded Asia Cup 2022, in which he impressed. He took six wickets in the tournament with an economy rate of 7.75 across six matches. He played a key role in his team’s sixth title triumph. In just a few international appearances, Dilshan had become his side’s second choice quick after Dushmantha Chameera because of his lively pace and swing in powerplay and variety in death overs. He was also likely to feature in a match against Namibia.
Sri Lanka has seamers like Lahiru Kumara and Pramod Madushan, who can replace him in the playing eleven. Binura Fernando, a left-arm quick is also another replacement. Despite their recent Asia Cup win, Sri Lanka will play round one in order to qualify for the Super 12 stage of the ICC T20 World Cup, where they will have to play UAE and Netherlands and Namibia.
