Sri Lanka’s primary off-spinner, Maheesh Theekshana, is scheduled to undergo a scan on Friday, September 15th, 2023, to determine his potential participation in the Asia Cup 2023 final, should his team advance. The official X (formerly Twitter) account of the team confirmed that Theekshana suffered a hamstring injury as he limped while approaching to bowl the 35th over of Pakistan’s innings during the Super 4 match held in Colombo on Thursday.
The injury incident happened just before the over bowled by left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage. It occurred as Mohammad Rizwan attempted a sweep shot, and Theekshana made a diving effort from deep backward square leg to prevent a boundary. Although he couldn’t stop the boundary, the 23-year-old injured himself in the process. Remarkably, despite the discomfort, Theekshana completed his bowling spell.
Maheesh Theekshana played a key role for Sri Lanka
The Colombo-born cricketer delivered nine economical overs, conceding 42 runs and taking the wicket of Mohammad Nawaz. Additionally, he could have dismissed Iftikhar Ahmed in the 35th over if Sri Lanka had opted for the Decision Review System (DRS). In the ongoing Asia Cup, Theekshana has claimed eight wickets at an average of 29.12, accompanied by an economy rate of 5.15 in five matches.
The match itself experienced a two-hour delay due to rain and a wet outfield. Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat first. However, Fakhar Zaman, a last-minute replacement for Imam-ul-Haq, fell early. Following a 50-run partnership between captain Babar Azam and Abdullah Shafique, Pakistan lost wickets in quick succession.
A further rain interruption led to the match being reduced to a 42-over contest per side. Nonetheless, Iftikhar and Rizwan put up a powerful performance, forming a 100-run partnership, highlighted by a massive six in the 40th over. Although Iftikhar lost his wicket in the subsequent over to Matheesha Pathirana, Rizwan remained unbeaten at 86, guiding Pakistan to a total of 252 in 42 overs. The final ten overs saw Pakistan accumulate 102 runs.
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