Date-stamped : 22 Nov95 - 18:29
INJURED GURISINHA TO MISS QLD FOUR-DAY CLASH

By Cole Hitchcock of AAP

CAIRNS, Nov 20 AAP - Accomplished Sri Lankan batsman Asanka  Gur-
isinha  has  been  ruled out of this week's four-day cricket tour
match against Queensland in Mackay after  suffering  a  suspected
broken thumb.

Sri Lanka is sweating on a  medical  report  on  the  experienced
left-hander  who  was  struck  on the gloves several times in the
opening one-day match against Queensland here yesterday.

Gurisinha is considered an essential part of Sri Lanka's top ord-
er  with  captain Arjuna Ranatunga and classy veteran Aravinda De
Silva.

The effective No.3, who holds an average of 37.63 in Test  crick-
et, has played 36 Tests ranking only behind Ranatunga (59) and De
Silva (50) in terms of experience.

Gurisinha was rushed from Cairns to Brisbane today with  the  Sri
Lankan  physiotherapist  for  x-rays  and  specialist  treatment,
highlighting the amount of concern for him.

But a verdict on the injury was still unknown.

"We can only hope it is not  too  severe,"  said  manager  Duleep
Mendis.

The 28-year-old helped anchor a superb start for Sri  Lanka  with
Roshan  Mahanama before the tourists collapsed to a 46-run defeat
in the opening one-day match against Queensland.

He shared in a 119-run second wicket  partnership  with  Mahanama
(58),  scoring a half century in his first bat on Australian soil
this tour.

Mahanama also copped several deliveries on  the  gloves  but  was
more  fortunate  than  his top order partner on the uneven Cairns
wicket.

"The wicket was a bit tricky unfortunately, some balls were keep-
ing very low and others bouncing," Mendis said.

"It was one that just reared up and hit him on the hand,  one  of
those  things,  but  perhaps  the wicket did have something to do
with it.

"Being the first game we would have been happy  to  win  but  I'm
more concerned with the injury now."

Chandlka Hathurusingha is likely to replace Gurisinha at No.3  in
the four-day tour match in Mackay starting Wednesday.

Queensland takes a full strength team into the  game  which  will
double  as  preparation  for  next  week's Sheffield Shield match
against Western Australia in Brisbane.

Queensland: Matthew Hayden, Trevor Barsby,  Martin  Love,  Stuart
Law   (c),  Jimmy  Maher, Allan Border, Andrew Symonds, Wade Sec-
combe, Andrew Bichel, Michael  Kasprowicz,  Dirk  Tazelaar,  Jeff
Thomas.

Source :: Lanka Internet Services

<END> Contributed by Vicky (vigneswa@*.umass.edu)