Is Maheesh Theekshana playing today’s PAK vs SL match of 2023 World Cup?

Sri Lanka welcomed back one of their frontline white-ball spinners Maheesh Theekshana into their playing XI for the 2023 World Cup clash against Pakistan on Tuesday (October 10) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

Theekshana suffered an injury during the Asia Cup Super 4 match against Pakistan last month. He then missed the Asia Cup final against India due to the same, where his side suffered a humiliating 10-wicket loss. Maheesh Theekshana did not feature in the warm-up games of Sri Lanka ahead of the World Cup.

The medical team then advised him to miss Sri Lanka's first match against South Africa on Saturday as he had yet to attain optimum fitness. Theekshana has now made a comeback into the Lankan side after a couple of weeks on the sidelines.

Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka won the toss on Tuesday and opted to bat first as he felt that the surface assisted the batters in the last few games. He also revealed that Maheesh Theeshana replaced Kasun Rajitha in the playing XI. Shanaka said:

"We are going to bat first since there is some assistance for the batters in the last couple of games. I am really happy with my batting effort. We have made one change. Theekshana comes in for Kasun Rajitha. We need to bowl with good control and execute the plan. We had a couple of practice sessions and in this game, we will do the right things. Hitting the right areas, yorkers and variations are key."

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A look at Sri Lanka spinner Maheesh Theekshana's ODI numbers

Maheesh Theekshana has played 27 ODIs so far after making his debut in 2021 against South Africa in Colombo. He has picked up 44 wickets at an average of 23.45, with 4/25 being his best figures.

He has been a key bowler for Sri Lanka over the last few years due to his ability to bowl in the powerplay as well as the death overs.