In what came as a massive blow for Sri Lankan cricket and its fans, premier spinner Maheesh Theekshana was on September 16 (Saturday) ruled out of the Asia Cup final clash against India. Theekshana, who hobbled off the ground during Sri Lanka's must-win match against Pakistan, has sustained a grade-two hamstring tear. Sri Lanka have roped in all-rounder Sahan Arachchige into the squad as Theekshana's replacement.
“Maheesh Theekshana, who strained his right hamstring during the game against Pakistan, will not be available for the finals. A scan was done and confirmed the muscle injury. Sri Lanka Cricket Selectors have brought in Sahan Arachchige into the squad in place of Theekshana. Theekshana will return to the High Performance Center to commence rehabilitation work,” Sri Lankan Cricket said in a tweet on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Theekshana, who often takes the new ball for Sri Lanka and bowls the tricky overs at the end of the innings, is expected to miss some time and his participation in the ODI World Cup is also in jeopardy.
First things first, Theekshana's injury comes at the worst possible time for Dasun Shanaka as he prepares his men for the battle against India. Remember, Sri Lanka are already without their four premier bowlers, including superstar Wanindu Hasaranaga. Theekshana's injury only adds to the Islanders' woes and tilts the final in India's corner.
The mystery spinner was in a rich vein of form, having picked eight wickets in five matches in the 2023 Asia Cup. Furthermore, the last time India and Sri Lanka squared off in the Super 4s stage of the tournament, it was the Sri Lankan spinners who wreaked havoc and bagged all 10 Men in Blue wickets. With the continuous wear and tear on the pitch and its slowness, spinners have enjoyed a considerable amount of assistance in the previous few matches. In such a scenario, not having Theekshana's services would definitely hurt the defending champions.
Talking about Theekshana's replacement Arachchige, the right-arm off-spinner who bats left-handed, has played just two ODIs for his country. The 27-year-old has bowled and batted only once in ODI cricket and it turned out to be a fruitful outing for Arachchige. He scored 57 runs with the bat and picked up a wicket as well.
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