Lahiru Kumara's World Cup journey ended due to a left thigh injury he sustained during a training session in Pune, the venue for Sri Lanka's upcoming match against Afghanistan on Monday.

The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 has approved Dushmantha Chameera as Lahiru Kumara's replacement in the Sri Lanka squad.

Kumara was the star of Sri Lanka's win over England in Bengaluru on Thursday. He was the player of the match for his three wickets which included the names of Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone and Ben Stokes. He picked five wickets in four appearances for Sri Lanka at the CWC 2023.

Lahiru Kumara injured his left thigh while training in Pune ahead of Sri Lanka's crucial clash against Afghanistan at the MCA International Stadium on Monday and will not take part in the tournament.

This is the third change the Lankan Lions have made to their 15-man squad since the start of the World Cup. Matheesha Pathirana and regular captain Dasun Shanaka were ruled out at the start of the tournament and their places were taken by Chamika Karunaratne and Angelo Mathews respectively.

Sri Lanka and Afghanistan will lock horns in a crucial clash in the 2023 ODI World Cup on Monday, October 30. The two teams continue to fight for a place in the semi-finals. Sri Lanka and Afghanistan have two wins each from the five games played. However, Kusal Mendis and Co. are ranked 5th in the points table due to a superior net run rate. The Hashmatullah Shahidi-led team is at 7th place in the points table and would be keen on a win in the upcoming game.

Both teams have achieved morale-positive victories in their previous games. While Sri Lanka beat England by eight wickets, Afghanistan beat Pakistan by the same margin. The team that loses the Sri Lanka-Afghanistan clash will suffer a major setback in their dreams of reaching the semi-finals and that is why the two Asian teams will surely come out in full force on Monday.