Sri Lanka suffered a major blow on Saturday when captain Dasun Shanaka and seamer Matheesha Pathirana were ruled out of their third match of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 against Australia due to quadriceps and shoulder injuries respectively.

The Sri Lanka cricket team is facing numerous injuries in their camp during the ongoing ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023 in India. Captain Dasun Shanaka has reportedly been ruled out of the upcoming match against Australia in the main tournament.

Sri Lanka and Australia, who both lost their first two matches, will face each other in Lucknow on October 16 (Monday).

The 20-year-old Pathirana recently suffered a shoulder injury and after examinations, it was reported that Dasun Shanaka is in serious trouble as the pacer will now be sidelined for the next two World Cup matches, against Australia on October 16 in Lucknow and then against The Netherlands will be held on October 21st at the same location.

Sri Lankan sports journalist Danushka Aravindra confirmed that Shanka is not available for selection for the upcoming match. He wrote: "Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka will not be available for the next game against Australia due to injury concerns."

Although Pathirana's performances have been well below par - he conceded 185 runs in 19 overs in the last two innings - and at the moment it appears that Shanaka's men will not miss the 20-year-old's services, but it will be important to see what that looks like Islanders fill the gap in the playing eleven.

With two defeats out of two, Shanaka's men are under serious scrutiny and their hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the event could soon be dashed if they do not bounce back.

However, despite two defeats, the Islanders showed great determination and played with a positive attitude and it would be no surprise if they beat the already struggling Australian team and start their comeback in the mega event.