ICC Cricket World Cup 2023: Updated injury list, players ruled out

List of players who got injured during the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India.

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 is an almost two-months-long tournament, including the warm-up round. The World Cup 2023 started on September 29th, with warm-up matches being played in Hyderabad, Trivandrum, and Guwahati. The main event officially began on October 5, with England taking on New Zealand in Ahmedabad. The mega event will go on until November 19th, which makes it 50-days tournament. With such a long tournament and a rigorous 50-overs format, there are high chances of teams dealing with injuries in the mid-tournament.

Fitness will be a key for every single team and player taking part in the mega event. One team will be playing nine league games against all other participants before heading into the next round of the top 4. Continuous travel, preparation, and routine will be important throughout the campaign and to lift the championship.

One injury shakes the entire balance of playing XI. Indian team had a scare before their opening game against Australia as opener Shubman Gill missed the first two league games due to dengue. Let’s have a look at the few players who have been ruled out of the mega event due to injuries.

Here's the list of players who got injured during the ongoing tournament:

1. Dasun Shanaka (Sri Lanka) - Thigh injury - Out for entire tournament :

Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka has been ruled out of the entire World Cup 2023 due to a thigh injury (quadriceps tear). Shanaka struggled against Pakistan due to the injury, which aggravated and ruled him out of the entire tournament. Shanaka has been replaced by all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne. All-rounder Karunaratne was part of Sri Lankan set-up in the World Cup as he was with the team as a reserve option in case of an injury. Kusal Mendis will be leading Sri Lankan team for the rest of the tournament.

2. Kane Williamson (New Zealand) - Thumb injury - Out for a month :

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson made a roaring comeback in international cricket against Bangladesh in Chennai. Williamson was making a comeback after a long lay-off due to an ACL injury. After recovering from his previous injury, Williamson was hit on the thumb by a throw. After the game, he had to go through an X-ray, and that confirmed an undisplaced fracture, which ruled him out for almost a month. Williamson will be staying with the squad and is hopeful of his comeback in the later stages. Tom Blundell has been called in as a cover.

3. Reece Topley (England) - Finger injury - Ruled out of the tournament:

England pace bowler Reece Topley injured his left hand’s index finger against South Africa in a league game in Mumbai. Topley was hit at the edge of his left hand index finger while attempting to save a straight drive hit by Rassie van der Dussen. Topley’s injury was a serious one and that ruled him out of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. This came as a major setback for the defending champions England who are already struggling to get wins in their campaign. Brydon Carse came in as Reece Topley’s replacement.

4. Matheesha Pathirana (Sri Lanka) - Shoulder injury - Ruled out of the tournament:

Sri Lankan fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana, a.k.a "Baby Malinga," sustained a shoulder injury in Sri Lanka's second match of the tournament against Pakistan in Hyderabad. He went on to miss Sri Lanka's next two games against Australia and Netherlands. Now the pacer has been ruled out of the entire tournament after failing to recover in time.

Sri Lanka have roped in veteran all-rounder Angelo Mathews as his replacement. Pathirana looked off-colours in the two games he played in the tournament and went on to concede 95 runs against South Africa in the first game taking a sole wicket, while conceded 90 runs against Pakistan while he scalped his another wicket in Hyderabad. His replacement, Angelo Mathews has represented Sri Lanka in 221 ODIs so far from 2008. Mathews was part of Sri Lanka's last two World Cup campaigns in 2015 and 2019.

(All details updated till 24th October, 2023)