Ahead of their crucial game against Bangladesh in Bristol on Tuesday, Sri Lanka have been dealt with a major blow, as pacer Nuwan Pradeep has been ruled of the fixture owing to dislocation and a cut on his bowling-arm finger.
The pacer sustained the injury while bowling to Kusal Perera in the nets. The batsman hit the ball right towards Pradeep’s ahead and while bringing his arm in self-defence, he sustained the blow to his finger.
“Pradeep will not take part in Sri Lanka’s game against Bangladesh on Tuesday, as he will need a week’s time to recover from the injury,” team manager Asantha De Mel said in a statement.
"Nuwan was given treatment at the hospital, while the doctors reset his dislocated finger and the cut on his finger was closed with stitches. He was also administered with antibiotics,” De Mel added.
News coming in from Bristol that Nuwan Pradeep, the Sri Lankan fast bowler, dislocated his finger at the nets. He will miss Tuesday's game against Bangladesh.
— Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) June 9, 2019
Lahiru Thirimanne too had some discomfort in his knee. #CWC19 | #LionsRoar pic.twitter.com/J0BVoGBN2E
Pradeep’s absence will be a huge blow for Sri Lanka given that he was instrumental in his team’s victory over Afghanistan last week where he recorded his match-winning spell of 4/31 in a rather rain-affected game. And if in any case the pacer is forced to abandon the World Cup, the team has a replacement ready in Kasun Rajitha, who is a right-arm pacer.
Meanwhile, Lahiru Thirimanne also appeared in little pain with respect to his knee at the training, but the team hasn’t released any statement over it.
Feature image courtesy: Saeed Khan
