Upul Tharanga, the new chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket’s (SLC) selection committee, has delivered a big update on the fitness of Matheesha Pathirana ahead of the all-important ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
The right-arm pacer recently suffered a hamstring injury that ruled him out of the ongoing Indian Premier League 2024 (IPL 2024). The Sri Lanka star had to walk off the field during the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 28. He bowled just two overs in that game and picked up two wickets before leaving the field.
Matheesha Pathirana then missed the home and away games against Punjab Kings before being ruled out of the remainder of the ongoing IPL 2024. On May 6, he himself took to social media to confirm that he was returning home early due to the injury.
Following the injury setback, there were doubts over his participation in the T20 World Cup as well. However, Tharanga has allayed those fears by delivering a positive update on the pacer. The former Sri Lanka opener stated that Matheesha Pathirana has fully recovered and will be available for selection right from the first game in the T20 World Cup.
“Matheesha Pathirana is now 100% fit and will be available for selection from the beginning of the T20 World Cup 2024,” said Tharanga.
Sri Lankan journalist Nibraz Ramzan also confirmed that the pacer won’t be returning to India to play in the remainder of the IPL. The Sri Lankan team is leaving for the USA on Monday night (May 13) in order to begin their preparations for the T20 World Cup.
Matheesha Pathirana is now 100% fit and will be available for selection from the beginning of the T20i World Cup 2024. – Upul Tharanga. pic.twitter.com/KGpvPyJ9vd
— Nibraz Ramzan (@nibraz88cricket) May 13, 2024
They are flying to USA tonight.
— Nibraz Ramzan (@nibraz88cricket) May 13, 2024
Sri Lanka are in Group D alongside Bangladesh, South Africa, Nepal and the Netherlands. They will be playing the first three group games in the USA before playing the last one in St. Lucia. The 2014 T20 World Cup winners will begin their campaign on June 3 against South Africa in New York.
Matheesha Pathirana’s injury-riddled campaign:
Matheesha Pathirana struggled with injuries throughout IPL 2024. As a result, he managed to play only six games this season before leaving India. He had missed Chennai Super Kings’ tournament opener as well due to a hamstring injury he had sustained while playing for Sri Lanka against Bangladesh in March.
Talking about his performance in IPL 2024, Pathirana picked up an impressive 13 wickets in six games including a match-winning four-wicket haul against Mumbai Indians.
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