Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews and Indian seamer Ashish Nehra were both ruled out of the World Cup final on Friday, sparking two selection headaches on the eve of the title showdown. The International Cricket Council said Mathews has been replaced in the squad by off-spinner Suraj Randiv who was flown in Thursday as cover, along with veteran seamer Chaminda Vaas.
Randiv, 26, who made his one-day debut against India in 2009, has taken 22 wickets. He last played when Sri Lanka toured Australia last year. Mathews, 23, suffered a right-side strain while fielding during Tuesday's semi-final win against New Zealand. The lively medium-pacer is also a hard-hitting lower-order batsman capable of scoring quick runs.
Earlier Friday, India's left-arm seamer Ashish was also ruled out of Saturday's Wankhede Stadium showpiece due to a fractured finger, Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said.
Nehra sustained the injury during Wednesday's semi-final against Pakistan where, selected surprisingly ahead of spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, he claimed 2-33 in India's 29-run victory. "Ashish is most certainly out of the final because he has multiple fractures on a finger in the right hand," Dhoni said.
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