Jayasuriya out of Test, Muralitharan may miss ODIs
Charlie Austin - 12 November 2002
Sri Lanka's preparations for the second Test at Centurion have been hit by fitness concerns over skipper Sanath Jayasuriya and prize spin bowler Muttiah Muralitharan.
Jayasuriya sprained his right ankle during a warm-up session at the Wanderers Stadium and although x-rays have confirmed that there is no fracture, there is sufficient ligament damage to make him extremely doubtful for the Test that starts Friday.
Physio Alex Kontouri is hopeful that he will recover in time to play some part in the five-match one-day series: "He is doubtful for Friday but we hope that he will be available at some stage in the one-day series – it will probably take a couple of weeks to heal."
Meanwhile, Muralitharan, who was out of action for three months earlier this year after dislocating his shoulder at Sharjah, has a hernia problem on the left side of his lower abdomen that could demand pre-emptive surgery immediately after the Test match.
Muralitharan first noticed a problem during the opening Test at Wanderers. He saw a specialist in Johannesburg on Tuesday morning and the management are awaiting the medical report before deciding on the best course of action.
He is not in any pain and will play in the second Test but the management are concerned that the hernia does not flare up during the forthcoming World Cup and are therefore considering surgery immediately after the game.
That would mean the off-spinner would miss the entire one-day series in South Africa and the early part of the Australia when Sri Lanka are due to participate in a tri-series with Australia and England.
"We are seeking specialist advice as to the chances of the problem getting worse," said Kontouri. "He is free of pain at the moment and he is fine to play in the Test but his lower abdomen is quite swollen."
"If the World Cup was not come up we probably wouldn't consider surgery because it is difficult to tell when or whether the hernia would develop into a problem. If the medical opinion is that there is a high chance of it getting worse then he will have surgery."
The potential loss of two such key players is disastrous news for a Sri Lankan side that were trounced inside three days by Shaun Pollock's South Africa at the weekend.
Left-hander Jehan Mubarak, the only reserve batsman in Sri Lanka's 17-man tour party, is now set to play his second Test at Centurion. He made his Test debut against Bangladesh as an opener but is expected to bat in the middle order.
Marvan Atapattu, the current vice-captain, will stand in for Jayasuriya as captain.
Meanwhile, the selectors are finalising the one-day squad on Tuesday with a handful of specialist one-day players, including veteran Aravinda de Silva, set to be called up for the five-match series starting 27 November.
© CricInfo
