ODI World Cup 2023: Why are Dimuth Karunaratne and Mustafizur Rahman not playing 38th match between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka?

Sri Lankan Cricket Team. (Photo Source: X(Twitter)

In the 38th match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka face off. Bangladesh, already out of the semi-finals race, approach the game with a fearless attitude, while Sri Lanka is determined to strengthen their claim for a semi-final spot.

Bangladesh’s World Cup journey has been far from ideal, with just one victory over Afghanistan followed by a streak of six consecutive losses. Similarly, Sri Lanka’s performance has seen them secure only two wins out of seven matches. However, both teams share a common motivation in their quest to secure a direct qualification spot for the 2025 Champions Trophy. This added incentive drives them to aim for a top-eight finish in the tournament.

Bangladesh won the toss and opted to field first in Delhli and introduced a key change by replacing the formidable Mustafizur Rahman with Tanzim Sakib due to Rahman’s injury concerns. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, made two significant alterations to their lineup. Kusal Mendis decided to bring in Kusal Perera and Dhananjaya De Silva, who will take the places of Dimuth Karunaratne and Dushan Hemantha. The changes are more of a lackluster performances by the two in recent outings and particularly against India.

What did the captains say at toss?

“We would field first, looks like a very good surface. There was a lot of dew when we practised. There are a lot of expectations but we couldn’t fill up. We have two more games and we would like to do well. We have to be technically sound and also mentally strong. We have one change – Mustafiz is not fit enough and Tanzim Sakib comes in his place,” said Shakib.

Kusal Mendis said: “Looks like a good wicket, I don’t mind batting first. We want to put up a good score on this pitch, I think 300 plus would be good. We have two changes. Kusal Perera and Dhananjaya come in and Karunaratne and Hemantha are out.”

Bangladesh (Playing XI): Tanzid Hasan, Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim(w), Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan(c), Towhid Hridoy, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam

Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis(w/c), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Kasun Rajitha, Dilshan Madushanka