Sri Lanka suffered yet another defeat in the 2023 World Cup and officially ended their campaign in the ODI World Cup. The islanders lost to New Zealand by seven wickets at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. With this loss, Sri Lanka managed only four points in the competition.
The islanders won their matches against England and the Netherlands. Apart from that, they suffered defeats against Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, South Africa, India, Australia and New Zealand. The government reportedly ordered to sack the entire Sri Lanka Cricket board after the embarrassing loss against India, and it looks like big changes are coming in Sri Lanka soon.
The thing which will hurt Sri Lanka the most is that they might miss out on the Champions Trophy tournament in 2025. A new ODI side of Sri Lanka might be formed soon, and here are two players who may never play in the 50-over format again for the islanders.
1. Angelo Mathews may have played his last ODI for Sri Lanka
After making a dream comeback against England in the 2023 World Cup, Angelo Mathews could not continue in the same vein. He became the center of a controversy when Bangladesh dismissed him via a timed out dismissal in Delhi.
Mathews may not be fit to play the next World Cup, which will happen in 2027. Hence, Sri Lanka might think of grooming other players now.
2. Matheesha Pathirana
Matheesha Pathirana is quite young, but as MS Dhoni had advised, Sri Lanka must use him wisely. He got exposed in the World Cup, and it would be better for Junior Malinga if he is a T20 specialist going forward. Pathirana can be a big match-winner for Sri Lanka in T20Is, and they must think of keeping him away from ODIs.
