Injured Lahiru Kumara out for six weeks

Fast bowler Lahiru Kumara has been ruled out for six weeks with a hamstring injury. Accordingly he will miss the second Test against Australia starting next week and the South African series starting next month.

Kumar suffered the injury on Friday and had been off the field for the entire third session of play on day two in the first Test against Australia in Gabba.He did not come out to bat on Saturday with Sri Lanka going on to lose by an innings and 40 runs.

“Kumara is out for four to six weeks. So he’s out of the next game,” Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal confirmed after the loss.

The first Test against South Africa starts in two and a half weeks, on February 13, in Durban, effectively ruling Kumara out.

Kumara is the second Sri Lanka quick to pick up a hamstring injury on this tour,. Earlier Nuwan Pradeep was ruled out of the tour after sustaining a hamstring injury during the warm-up match. Sri Lanka’s injury list also includes Angelo Mathews who returned home from New Zealand with a hamstring injury suffered during the second Test.

Skipper Dinesh Chandimal also revealed that seamer Dushmantha Chameera had been added to the growing injury list but the nature or the extent of his injury is not yet known.

“Dushmantha is also injured. So we’ll need to get another two quick bowlers,” Chandimal said.