Ranatunga, who bowls gentle right-arm medium-pace has not been bowling in recent times due to a troubled shoulder. He received cortisone injection in his right shoulder on Monday which meant that he had to stand down from today's game.
Also recovering from injury is Ranatunga's deputy Aravinda de Silva, who is nursing a groin injury which he aggravated during the Singer-Akai Nidahas trophy final against India at home a week ago.
According to manager Ranjit Fernando, De Silva is likely to recover in time to play in the Diana memorial match at Lord's on July 18. De Silva and Sanath Jayasuriya, who is leading Sri Lanka in the game against Somerset are both due to represent a World XI in this match. These two players will miss the 3-day game against Glamorgan starting on the same day at Cardiff. Apart from Ranatunga and De Silva, Sri Lanka also rested Muthiah Muralitharan, Upul Chandana, Ravindra Pushpakumara, Suresh Perera and Prasanna Jayawardene.
Having had to sit out their one-day tour opener against Hampshire at Southampton on Sunday, and been deprived of any outdoor practice due to bad weather, the Sri Lankan bowling was found wanting in the game against Somerset.
At the close on the opening day, Sri Lanka had lost two early wickets for eight runs, that of Sanath Jayasuriya and Russell Arnold.
At tea, the county who are lying fourth from the bottom of the English county table, made full use of some loose bowling by the Sri Lankans to hit up a total of 275 for 5 off 70 overs. Twenty-two year-old Marcus Trescothick made full use of the bowling and a dropped chance by Hashan Tillekeratne at first slip to come within five runs of scoring his first century of the season. The tall left-hander stroked his way to 16 fours and a six before playing on to Kumara Dharmasena in the ninth over after lunch. His previous highest score of the season was 98 against Warwickshire on the same ground in last month. Mark Lathwell and Adrian Pierson were also in the runs completing half-centuries. Lathwell made 56 in 106 minutes with eight fours and helped Trescothick add 118 for the third wicket. Parsons was undefeated on 53 at the tea break having hit eight fours.
Fast-medium bowler Pramodya Wickremasinghe, who failed to take a wicket during the Singer-Akai Nidahas trophy triangular, was the most successful Sri Lankan bowler prizing out three batsmen for 53 runs off 16 overs. Mario Villavarayen in his maiden tour bowled far too short and paid the penalty, while Chandika Hathurusingha's probing medium-pacers tested the batsmen on several occasions and he had the misfortune to have Trescothick dropped. Spinners Dharmasena and Niroshan Bandaratilake picked up a wicket each, but overall, the standard of bowling was far too short of Test standard.