NED vs SL: Lahiru Thirimanne Shell Shocks Sri Lankan Cricket As He Accuses Political Involvement In World Cup Squad

Former Sri Lankan cricketer Lahiru Thirimanne expressed his surprise at Angelo Mathews’ inclusion in the team at this stage of the ICC World Cup 2023. Lahiru Thirimanne questioned the selectors’ thought process over the selection of Angelo Mathews in the squad.

The Sri Lankan team have significantly impacted by injuries in the ongoing 2023 ODI World Cup. Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera suffered injuries before the start of the tournament. Captain Dasun Shanaka has also been ruled out due to an injury.

All-rounder Chamika Karunaratne replaced Dasun Shanka in the World Cup squad. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has opted to include Angelo Mathews and Dushmantha Chameera as backups. They will be added to the squad if any more injuries occur among the current players.

Angelo Mathews And Dushmantha Chameera Will Join Team – SLC

Sri Lanka Cricket took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to announce that Angelo Mathews and Dushmantha Chameera will travel with the team to India as reserves. They made the decision to have backup options ready for any potential contingencies, such as player injuries.

“Sri Lanka Cricket wishes to announce that Angelo Mathews and Dushmantha Chameera will join the team in India as traveling reserves. The Sri Lanka Cricket Selectors took this decision in order to ensure that the team has ready replacements in place to face contingencies, such as an injury to an existing squad member. Accordingly, @Angelo69Mathews and @dushmantha05 will join the team tomorrow,” the SLC tweeted on October 19.

Sri Lanka Cricket wishes to announce that Angelo Mathews and Dushmantha Chameera will join the team in India as traveling reserves.

The Sri Lanka Cricket Selectors took this decision in order to ensure that the team has ready replacements in place to face contingencies, such as… pic.twitter.com/k6g3hm7vBA

— Sri Lanka Cricket ?? (@OfficialSLC) October 19, 2023

Surprised With The Inclusion of Angelo Mathews – Lahiru Thirimanne

Lahiru Thirimanne took to his social media handle to express confusion over Angelo Mathews’ selection in the squad. Thirimanne questioned the selectors’ strategy, especially considering the previous emphasis on building a younger team.

“Surprised with the inclusion of @Angelo69Mathews at this stage of the tournament. And cant understand the thought process of the selectors. Thought they wanted to build a young team going forward ?‍♂️ anyway no pressure now,” Lahiru Thirimanne tweeted.

Surprised with the inclusion of @Angelo69Mathews at this stage of the tournament. And cant understand the thought process of the selectors. Thought they wanted to build a young team going forward ?‍♂️ anyway no pressure now @Angelo69Mathews ?

— Lahiru Thirimanna (@thiri66) October 20, 2023

Dushmantha Chameera was initially sidelined from the World Cup due to an injury during the 2023 Lanka Premier League. Angelo Mathews, on the other hand, returned to ODI cricket in 2023 after a two-year hiatus. He played three ODI matches and scored 30 runs.

Also read: Sri Lanka Cricket Approves Lahiru Thirimanne’s Retirement From All Three Formats Of International Cricket