3 reasons why Maheesh Theekshana's absence is a big blow to Sri Lanka for Asia Cup 2023 final vs India
Sri Lankan spinner Maheesh Theekshana has been ruled out of the final of the Asia Cup against India due to a hamstring injury. There are still concerns over his availability for the upcoming World Cup, set to begin in India in October. Maheesh Theekshana sustained the injury during Sri Lanka's thrilling last-ball victory against Pakistan.
Sri Lanka selectors have added Sahan Arachchige to the squad in place of Theekshana. The injured spinner will return to the high-performance center to commence his rehabilitation. Theekshana was among the top 10 wicket takers in the ongoing Asia Cup with eight wickets in five matches for Sri Lanka.
3 reasons why Maheesh Theekshana's absence is a big blow to Sri Lanka for Asia Cup 2023 final vs India:
#3 Adds mystery to the bowling
Theekshana added mystery and variety to the Sri Lankan bowling attack and was an attacking option for captain Dasun Shanaka. The other spinners in the squad - Dunith Wellalage and Dhananjaya de Silva - are more traditional and can be lined up by the batters.
As such, his absence comes as a big blow for Sri Lanka, especially since they would have wanted more variety to counter the Indian batting on tracks that might offer assistance to the slower bowlers.
#2 Effective weapon in the powerplay
Maheesh Theekshana has proved effective both at the beginning and end of the innings for Sri Lanka. Now, Dasun Shanaka faces the task of identifying the ideal bowlers to open the attack against India's formidable top-order, which displayed exceptional form against Pakistan.
Apart from this, Theekshana has also been employed effectively in the middle phase of the innings as well as towards the death overs. He was brilliant against Pakistan even in the backend where he kept the settled batters relatively quiet. This control will be missed by Sri Lanka in the final against India.
#1 Can provide effective runs
Apart from being a highly potent wicket-taking option, Theekshana has also improved his batting and can certainly provide some valuable runs.
He averages 23 with the bat in ODIs and could have given Sri Lanka useful runs. In their last match against India, Dunith Wellalage showed the importance of contributions from the lower order batters. Axar Patel, who is also injured, starred with the bat for India during their loss against Bangladesh.