Following a string of injuries, Sri Lanka recruited fast bowlers Asitha Fernando, Matheesha Pathirana, and wicketkeeper-batter Niroshan Dickwella to their Men's T20 World Cup roster in Australia on Wednesday.
The three have been called up to serve as backups in case they are need to take the place of players on their primary team. Along with the players, Tim McCaskill, director of Sri Lanka Cricket's high-performance facility, will journey to Australia.
Sri Lanka Cricket tweeted that "SLC has opted to send 3 additional players to Australia to remain as backups in the event of any replacements."
It said, "Tim McCaskill, Head of the High Performance Center of the SLC, would be sent together with Niroshan Dickwella, Asitha Fernando, and Matheesa Pathirana.
The choice was made a day after left-arm seamer Binura Fernando, who had replaced Dilshan Madushanka in the team, injured his hamstring during Sri Lanka's defeat to Australia. In the game, he was only able to bowl five deliveries before exiting the field.
The 27-year old Binura is just the latest Sri Lanka bowler to sustain an injury leading up to and during the T20 World Cup. Prior to the competition, they had lost left-arm quick Madushanka to a quad injury.
After sustaining a grade-two tear in the calf of his left foot during the group stage match against UAE on October 18, Sri Lanka's pace spearhead Dushmantha Chameera was thus eliminated from the big event. Pramod Madushan, a pitcher, also sustained an injury and has been sidelined since the game against the UAE, though he has not yet been officially ruled out.
After Danushka Gunathilaka's hamstring injury during the group stage, Sri Lanka also experienced a setback in the batting department. As Gunathilaka's substitute, Ashen Bandara was called up and was forced to replace Pathum Nissanka, who was sidelined with a groyne injury, in Sri Lanka's first Super 12 encounter against Ireland.
In the Super 12 stage, Sri Lanka has so far defeated Ireland and fallen to Australia. They play New Zealand next on Saturday at the SCG.