Chamika Karunaratne replaces injured Dasun Shanaka in Sri Lanka squad

Captain Dasun Shanaka has been replaced by Chamika Karunaratne in Sri Lanka's World Cup squad, after Shanaka sustained a quadriceps tear in the team's last match, against Pakistan. The recovery time for this injury is expected to be roughly three weeks, during which time Sri Lanka will have played most of their round-robin matches.

Karunaratne is basically a like-for-like substitution - a crease bowling allrounder, who bats down the request. However where Shanaka's solidarity is his batting, Karunaratne's bowling has ordinarily been his premier discipline. He had been going with the group as a reserve player, and will be accessible for Sri Lanka's match against Australia on Monday.

Sri Lanka's group the executives affirmed to ESPNcricinfo that Kusal Mendis will lead in Shanaka's stead, as he has filled in as the group's bad habit skipper for the beyond couple of months, and as a matter of fact drove them in one of Sri Lanka's warm-up matches, which Shanaka had missed. Group chief Mahinda Halangoda likewise expressed that regardless of Shanaka leaving the crew, he will stay with the group "for now".

Shanaka's spot in the XI had at any rate been under significant strain throughout recent months, in which he had been horrifying with the bat. He had passed 35 just a single time in his last 15 ODI innings, a stretch which highlighted the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe.

The group had to a great extent done well under him, in any case, winning that Qualifier unbeaten as well as coming to the last of the new Asia Cup, which was for the most part played in Sri Lanka.

However, Sri Lanka have had an unfortunate beginning to their Reality Cup crusade, enduring losses because of South Africa and Pakistan. They have surrendered an incredible 775 runs in the two matches up until this point, so the expansion of a bowling allrounder might be gladly received.