There seems to be no end to Sri Lanka’s woes in the ongoing tour of Caribbean Islands.
After suffering a crushing 226-run defeat at the hands of the West Indies in the first match of three-Test series at Port of Spain, the islanders have suffered another blow.
Angelo Mathews, their most experienced player, has left the team midway through the tour. Pace bowler Lahiru Gamage is also returning home after suffering a fracture in his finger.
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With second Test set to begin at St Lucia on Thursday, the team now faces an uphill task to make a comeback in the series.
According to a report in Cricbuzz, Mathews, who was returning to the side after a five-month hiatus due to a string of hamstring and calf injuries, faced an urgent family requirement and therefore requested Sri Lanka Cricket to return home.
Sri Lanka have flown in Dasun Shanaka and Danushka Gunathilaka as replacements of Gamage and Mathews, respectively. The duo would be reaching the Caribbean on Wednesday and would not be considered for selection for the second Test.
{{/usCountry}}Sri Lanka have flown in Dasun Shanaka and Danushka Gunathilaka as replacements of Gamage and Mathews, respectively. The duo would be reaching the Caribbean on Wednesday and would not be considered for selection for the second Test.
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Sri Lanka, though, have Dhananjaya de Silva and Mahela Udawatta in its squad to play in place of Mathews in St Lucia while one of Kasun Rajitha and Asitha Fernando can fill in the spot vacated by Gamage.
Mathews had resisted scores of 11 and 31 during Sri Lanka’s defeat in the first Test while Gamage went wicketless in both innings.