Kumara-less Sri Lanka faces Afghanistan in must-win clash
Pacer Dushmantha Chameera has come in as his replacement
Afghanistan players attend a practice session
PUNE: Emboldened by back-to-back wins, a tenacious Sri Lanka will have to tide over the injury-enforced absence of lead pacer Lahiru Kumara when it faces a spirited Afghanistan in a battle for survival in the World Cup here on Monday.
Kumara was ruled out of the World Cup on Sunday with a left thigh muscle injury which he suffered here during a training session.
Pacer Dushmantha Chameera has come in as his replacement. But the Lankans have shown a propensity to fight against odds.
With two wins from five matches, both Sri Lanka and Afghanistan have kept alive their outside hopes of making it to the semifinals, provided they don’t suffer any more hiccups and also other results go their way in the showpiece event. However, only one team can emerge victorious from this contest, dashing the slim chances of the other.
After three successive defeats, Sri Lanka has revived some hopes with two convincing victories over Netherlands and England.
But it will take Afghanistan lightly at its own peril, knowing well that the Afghans are capable of punching above their weight.
Afghanistan has sent shock waves across the world with wins over England and Pakistan and will look to knock the wind out of the sails of Sri Lanka to continue its success story.
The return of experienced all-rounder Angelo Matthews has helped the bowling unit to ace the middle-overs and Sri Lanka will hope to continue the trend. Sri Lanka has been guilty of conceding too many runs in that phase in the past and it will hope that pacer Chameera can make some effect.
He was part of Sri Lanka’s travelling reserves before getting drafted into its main squad.
Dilshan Madushanka and Kusan Rajitha have taken 11 and 7 wickets so far in the event and will need to produce the goods.
Maheesh Theekshana, however, hasn’t really set things on fire with his spin. In batting, Pathum Nissanka and Sadeera Samarawickrama have emerged as two of its best ODI batters this year and the duo scripted a superlative chase to outwit England the other day.