Mathews and Chameera to join World Cup squad

Veteran all-rounder Angelo Mathews and seamer Dushmantha Chameera have been called up by the national selectors to join the World Cup squad in India as traveling reserves.

The plan earlier was to bring in Pramod Madushan but with Chameera "fully recovered", the selectors have decided to induct the experienced seamer into the side to strengthen the weak bowling attack.

With Matheesha Pathirana out for at least ten days due to an inflammation in his bowling arm, Chameera’s inclusion as the additional player will give the team management an opportunity to bring him into the 15-man squad, should Matheesha or any other player be ruled out due to injury.

Mathews’s inclusion is surprising as the 36-year-old was not in selectors' plan but with a misfiring middle-order, calls for him to be added were growing at home. He had been frozen out of white-ball cricket since 2021 when the selectors introduced a youth-based policy. He was given a lifeline in March when Sri Lanka toured New Zealand. But with scores of 18, 0 and 12 in his three outings against the Kiwis and Afghanistan, he was dropped again. 

After Sri Lanka lost to Australia by 5 wickets, however, crashing from 157 for 1 to 209 all out, the experienced all-rounder is again under consideration. For him to join the 15-man squad, a player has to be ruled out with injury. Meanwhile, Chameera last played for Sri Lanka in June against Afghanistan and in the warm-ups of the World Cup qualifier.