A major blow for the Sri Lanka national cricket team as one of their key pacers walked out from the Pallekele International Cricket Ground on February 16 after sustaining an injury. The limping Matheesha Pathirana must have caused worries among the Sri Lankan cricket and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) fans.
After securing two back-to-back victories, Sri Lanka is currently up against Australia. Matheesha Pathirana was named for the match for conducting an effective pace bowling attack.
Matheesha Pathirana received a hamstring injury
Sri Lanka’s blueprint took a scratch as soon as the pacer grabbed his left leg in pain and fell on the ground. Physios quickly rushed to the spot to take care of Pathirana. According to media reports, the Sri Lankan pacer suffered a hamstring injury. He got the knock after pitching the fourth ball of his opening spell.
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He needed assistance to walk off the ground. This can be a major setback for the team, as the seamer is among the top talents in the national setup. To replace the injured Matheesha Pathirana, Dasun Shanaka stepped onto the field and completed the over.
Pathirana was in decent form in the tournament
Cricket fans are eagerly awaiting the pacer’s injury update. His absence can provide discomfort not only for the Sri Lanka cricket team but also for the Kolkata Knight Riders. Ahead of the IPL 2026 season, KKR roped in the Lankan bowler from the mini auction for a whopping price tag of INR 18 crore.
Pathirana is in decent rhythm from the beginning of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026. Against Ireland he bagged a couple of scalps, though he remained wicketless against Oman. Before the 2026 T20 World Cup, when the island nation engaged with England for the T20I series, he succeeded in a regular manner. The Sri Lankan quick took 5 wickets in 3 matches against England.
Australia openers smashed half-centuries
In the absence of Matheesha Pathirana, Australia went off to a flying start. Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head, both of their openers, slammed a half-century each. Skipper Marsh returned for 54 off 27, and Head registered a 56-run knock against 19 deliveries. For the opening stand, they secured 104 runs. Together they smashed a total of twenty boundaries, including fifteen 4s and five 6s.
The co-hosts of the tournament dragged themselves back into the contest as soon as the openers departed. The middle-order batters of Australia—Cameron Green and Tim David—failed to protect their wickets. Green went for 3; David went for only 6 runs. Dushan Hemantha, the right-arm leg spinner, looked effective against the Australian batting lineup.
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