Sri Lanka call up Dickwella, Pathirana and Asitha Fernando as injury cover
After five of its players were injured during the qualifying round of the T20 World Cup, Sri Lanka has decided to bring in more reserves into the side for use in case of further adversity. Three of the five players—Dilshan Madushanka, Dushmantha Chameera and Danishka Gunathilake—were ruled out due to injuries while the other two, Pramod Madushan and Pathum Nissanka, remain in the side with minor injuries.
Accordingly, wicket-keeper-bat Niroshan Dickwella, fast bowlers Asitha Fernando and Matheesha Pathirana will be flown in this week along with Tim McCaskill, the Head of High Performance, to train in Sydney.
“We want to keep them ready to be used in any emergency,” said the same source.
Dickwella has not played a T20 international since June 2021 after selectors handed Kusal Mendis the glove-work. He has played 28 matches for Sri Lanka, scoring 480 runs at 18.46. He has a decent strike rate of over 137.
The 19-year-old Pathirana with a round arm action made his debut at the Asia Cup against Afghanistan but failed to impress in his very first game conceding 16 runs off the one over he bowled. Fernando, though part of Sri Lanka’s Asia Cup campaign, did not find a place in the World Cup squad.