 "Sri Lanka cricket team")
Ahead of the Sri Lanka vs Netherlands match in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, Lanka assistant coach Naveed Nawaz revealed that Dasun Shanaka has not left the Sri Lankan camp despite being ruled out of the tournament. And the selectors and management are looking to get him back into the squad. Shanaka has been practising and travelling with the squad as a reserve player along with Angelo Mathews and Dushmantha Chameera.
"He's in the rehabilitation process, and he started training already. He's not in the 15-member squad, but he's in as one of the reserve players. So once his rehabilitation process is done and once we know whether he's available for selection, I think selectors wanted to keep him as a backup in case we face any other injuries in the batting order as an option."
Will Kusal Perera play in the Sri Lanka vs Netherlands match?
Perera was hit on the helmet during his 78-run knock. He could not stand just after the ball hit him on the helmet. However, he continued batting before getting out. Many eyebrows have been raised over his availability in the next match, and Naveed gave an update on whether he played against the Netherlands.
"There's a specific protocol in place when a player is struck on the head by a ball. Medical professionals and doctors closely observe him for five days. Yesterday, he participated in training, and he's also actively training today. Following today's training session, he will decide his availability for tomorrow's match. "
Will Pathirana return to Sri Lanka Playing 11?
The Sri Lankan assistant coach also gave an update on Pathirana's injury, saying he is unavailable for selection.
"Pathirana has not recovered yet. He is still in his rehabilitation process. I think he has a ten-day process. After ten days, we can tell what his condition is. Currently, he is not available for selection."
Sri Lanka eye first win in ICC Cricket World Cup 2023
With Sri Lanka still searching for their first win, Naveed said that the team has to excel in all the departments to win matches.
However, he hopes the team has trained hard ahead of the Netherlands' game and the many issues have been addressed.
"We haven't got any points so far. There is a pressure to win a game. The last couple of games, we have been performing on and off well in departments, but we are yet to produce a tidy game so far. We have addressed issues and trained the last couple of days with a new captain in place. I think the group is positive and we look forward to it."
Sri Lanka batting in the World Cup
Naved wants the team to take confidence from their batting effort in the first two games, in which he scored over 300 runs.
"From a batting perspective, we did well. The main thing is that we have a clear plan of how we want to bat in the middle, and different players have their different methods of playing and we all must align individual performance into a team plan."
