Asia Cup 2023: 5 Players who were underutilised due to injuries

India had an amazing campaign in the 2023 Asia Cup as they became the title winners for the eighth time, beating Sri Lanka in the final at the R. Premadasa Stadium, in Colombo. After the tournament, Indian fans celebrated their team’s victory while Pakistan supporters are still criticising their players for producing ineffective performances.

The reason for Pakistan’s unsuccess is not just their performance but also injuries picked up by their players. In the do-or-die match against Sri Lanka in Colombo, some key Pakistan players which included the opener Imam-ul-Haq, couldn’t participate due to injuries. Their absence cost the Men in Green as they lost the game to the co-hosts by two wickets. However, it wasn’t just Pakistan stalwarts who couldn’t provide services to their team. Two key Indian players and a Sri Lanka spinner also failed to show up in important games of the continental tournament. 

Here are the five players who were underutilised due to injuries

5. Maheesh Theekshana

Maheesh Theekshana is an important part of Sri Lanka’s spin attack. Riding on his disciplined bowling, Sri Lanka hammered Bangladesh and Afghanistan in the group round to end up as table-toppers with four points. In Sri Lanka’s inaugural game against Bangladesh, Matheesha Pathirana grabbed a lot of eyeballs for his four-wicket haul.

Theekshana also supported Pathirana, delivering an economical spell to his team. Bowling eight overs in the match, he gave away only 19 runs and two wickets. Against Afghanistan, he took an important wicket of Gulbadin Naib, who was looking dangerous while chasing a challenging total of 292.

In the Super Four round of the Asia Cup 2023, Theekshana displayed his bowling brilliance against Bangladesh, picking up 3/69 in nine overs. The off-break bowler got ruled out of the tournament before the huge final game against India in Colombo. The Sri Lanka stalwart picked up a hamstring injury while fielding against Pakistan in the Super Four game.