Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) new selection committee chairman Upul Tharanga has given a big update on Matheesha Pathirana’s fitness ahead of the all-important ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
The right-arm pacer recently suffered a hamstring injury that ruled him out of the ongoing Indian Premier League 2024 (IPL 2024). The Sri Lankan star had to leave the field during the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 28. He bowled just two overs in that game and picked up two wickets before leaving the field.
Matheesha Pathirana then missed the home and away matches against Punjab Kings before being ruled out for the rest of the ongoing IPL 2024. On May 6, he himself took to social media to confirm that he would return home early due to the injury.
After the injury setback, there were also doubts about his participation in the T20 World Cup. However, Tharanga has allayed those fears by giving a positive update on the pacer. The former Sri Lanka opener stated that Matheesha Pathirana has fully recovered and will be available for selection from the first match of the T20 World Cup.
“Matheesha Pathirana is now 100% fit and will be available for selection from the start of the T20 World Cup 2024,” Tharanga said.
Sri Lankan journalist Nibraz Ramzan also confirmed that the pacer will not return to India to play in the rest of the IPL. The Sri Lankan team will leave for the United States on Monday night (May 13) to begin their preparations for the T20 World Cup.
Matheesha Pathirana is now 100% fit and will be available for selection from the start of the T20i World Cup 2024. – Upul Tharanga. pic.twitter.com/KGpvPyJ9vd
-Nibraz Ramzan (@nibraz88cricket) May 13, 2024
Tonight they will fly to the United States.
-Nibraz Ramzan (@nibraz88cricket) May 13, 2024
Sri Lanka is in Group D alongside Bangladesh, South Africa, Nepal and the Netherlands. They will play the first three group games in the United States before playing the last one in Saint Lucia. The winners of the 2014 T20 World Cup will begin their campaign on June 3 against South Africa in New York.
Matheesha Pathirana’s injury-plagued campaign:
Matheesha Pathirana battled injuries during IPL 2024. As a result, she only managed to play six matches this season before leaving India. He had also missed the first match of the Chennai Super Kings tournament due to a hamstring injury he sustained while playing for Sri Lanka against Bangladesh in March.
Talking about his performance in IPL 2024, Pathirana took an impressive 13 wickets in six games, including a four-wicket haul to win the match against Mumbai Indians.