Muttiah Muralitharan damaged ligaments in his left shoulder, raising doubts about his availability for next month's tour of England. Murali, who was celebrating his 30th birthday, tripped while fielding in the 11th over of the Sharjah Cup final against Pakistan, and hit the ground clutching his left shoulder.

Team physiotherapist Alex Kontouri led Muralitharan off the field before an ambulance carried him to a local hospital for further treatment. It was discovered that there was no dislocation, as earlier feared, but he had torn ligaments in the shoulder.

Kontouri said he was consulting a doctor in Australia to see if immediate surgery was required.

"If the surgery is needed, we want Muralitharan to have it as soon as possible and may send him to Australia soon," said Sri Lankan cricket official Michael Tissera.

Officials, however, refused to say if Muralitharan will be available for the three-Test series against England starting on May 17 - exactly a month from now.

Muralitharan, who has 412 wickets from 73 Tests, was expected to be one of Sri Lanka's star performers in the series.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd