Matheesha Pathirana ruled out of T20 World Cup; Dilshan Madushanka replaces him

Sri Lanka have suffered another injury blow to their ongoing T20 World Cup campaign, with seamer Matheesha Pathirana ruled out of the remainder of the tournament. Left-arm pacer Dilshan Madushanka has been approved by the ICC's Event Technical Committee as a replacement.

Pathirana lay down clutching his left leg just four deliveries into his first over during Sri Lanka's Group B fixture against Australia in Pallekele on Monday (February 16). He limped off the field and did not return, even as Sri Lanka went on to beat Australia by eight wickets.

The ICC confirmed a muscle strain on Pathirana's left leg, ruling him out of the tournament with immediate effect. This is the second major injury blow that Sri Lanka have had to endure after wrist-spin all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga was ruled out with a hamstring injury that he picked up in the side's tournament opener against Ireland.

Left-arm seamer Madushanka last played two matches in the one-day series during the tour of Zimbabwe in August 2025. He too has struggled with injury since, although he took part in a T20 World Cup warm-up fixture for Sri Lanka A against Oman earlier this month, going wicketless across three overs.

Madushanka has played 15 T20Is, picking up as many wickets at an economy rate of 9.75. His most notable exploits at the international level date back to the 2023 ODI World Cup, where he finished as Sri Lanka's highest wicket-taker with 21 scalps at an average of 25.00.

Sri Lanka next play Zimbabwe in Colombo in their final Group B fixture, following which they open their Super Eights campaign against England in Pallekele on Sunday (February 22).