Sri Lanka hope Chameera can fill void left by Kumara

BENGALURU, October 29

Sri Lanka will feel the absence of Lahiru Kumara in the rest of the World Cup after the seamer was ruled out with a thigh injury but the 1996 champions can bank on Dushmantha Chameera to fire, assistant coach Naveed Nawaz said today.

Kumara played a key role in Sri Lanka’s eight-wicket victory over defending champions England in their last game, taking three wickets. However, he sustained a muscle issue in training before tomorrow’s clash against Afghanistan in Pune and was replaced by Chameera. “Well he was Player of the Match in the last game. Obviously he bowled really well so it’s going to hurt us a bit,” Nawaz, whose side are fifth in the table and pushing for a semifinal place, told reporters.

“On the other hand we’re getting Chameera to come in. He’s an experienced bowler as well so if he’s picked to play tomorrow I think it’s going to come good for us.”

Sri Lanka have played Afghanistan 11 times in 50-over and T20 matches since 2022, but Nawaz said they would not take their fellow Asians lightly considering both sides are tied on four points after winning two of the five matches they have each contested.

“Every game is a tough one for us. From the position we’re in, we’re compelled to win a lot of matches from now on. So we don’t take any team lightly,” he said.

Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi said they would aim to build on in what is already their best performance in a World Cup following wins over England and Pakistan. “I can say that we’ve had a good tournament so far. It’ll be the best tournament for us in World Cup history,” said Shahidi. — Reuters