Injuries are unavoidable in any sport. Every team has to prepare the squad in such a way that there is sufficient depth in the case of an injury. Usually, these backups happen to be the younger cricketers for obvious reasons. However, at times, situations force teams to have a legend also come in as a replacement option. On that note, here, we take a look at two legendary cricketers who have come in as replacements for the 2023 ODI World Cup.
1) Angelo Mathews – Matheesha Pathirana
Angelo Mathews is a part of this list of legendary cricketers who have come in as replacements for the 2023 ODI World Cup. A few months ago, it was expected that the legendary all-rounder would play in the World Cup. However, the Sri Lankan management had different ideas. They dropped the cricketer from the squad.
That said, now, Sri Lanka is in poor form. There are plenty of injury issues, as well. With Matheesha Pathirana injured, the management decided to bring in Angelo Mathews. All said and done, it is a good move to bring back the legend, especially after captain Dasun Shanaka was ruled out. It now needs to be seen if the experience of Angelo would help the team fight back.
2) R Ashwin – Axar Patel
In the initial squad of Team India, Axar Patel was present. However, towards the end of Asia Cup 2023, Axar Patel found himself injured. India had the likes of Washington Sundar and R Ashwin as the potential replacement options. In the end, it was Ashwin who made the cut.
Ashwin played in India’s opener against Australia in Chennai. It was a neat performance by him. He is yet to play since then. However, he could come in whenever India might need an extra spinner. The flexibility offered by Ashwin has already helped India a lot.
