Revealed: Who will captain Sri Lanka in absence of Dasun Shanaka in ICC Cricket World Cup 2023

Dasun Shanaka is ruled out of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 due to a thigh injury.

Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka has been ruled out of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. All-rounder Dasun Shanaka will be flying back to Sri Lanka due to a thigh injury. Sri Lanka have announced Chamika Karunaratne as a replacement for Shanaka for the remainder of the tournament. Chamika Karunaratne was part of Sri Lanka's reserve pool, and now he will be in the main 15-members squad. Sri Lanka’s next World Cup game is scheduled against Australia in Lucknow.

As Dasun Shanaka flies back to Sri Lanka, they will be led by a new captain. Kusal Mendis will be leading the charge for Sri Lanka for the rest of the World Cup. Kusal Mendis was designated as vice-captain of their 15-member team for the mega event. All-rounder and skipper Dasun Shanaka played a decent role for the team against South Africa. Shanaka scored 68 runs against South Africa while chasing a huge target of 429 runs in Delhi.

Chamika Karunaratne approved as replacement of Dasun Shanaka

ICC Technical Committee has approved the required change in Sri Lankan squad. ICC said in a statement, “Karunaratne, who has played 23 ODIs, was named as a replacement after Shanaka was ruled out due to a right thigh muscle injury sustained during Sri Lanka’s match against Pakistan on October 10th. The injury needs three weeks to recover.” Sri Lanka had an awful start to their World Cup campaign in India.

Kusal Mendis will be leading Sri Lankan side for the first time in his career. Kusal Mendis has played 114 ODI games for Sri Lanka and scored 3413 runs. Mendis has been in top-form for Sri Lanka and smashed a magnificent century against Pakistan. He also played a marvelous knock against South Africa to put Sri Lanka in a better position. Kusal has scored three ODI centuries, and this will be his first assignment as an ODI skipper.

Chamika Karunaratne is a like-for-like replacement for Dasun Shanaka, as he also has a decent ODI record as an all-rounder. Karunaratne has played 23 ODIs for Sri Lanka and picked up 24 wickets. He has scored 443 runs including one half-century under his name. Sri Lanka have lost their opening two games and will play against Australia at Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on October 20. Kusal will be looking to get Sri Lanka’s campaign back on track.