Nuwan Pradeep was unable to bowl on the second morning at Newlands © Getty Images
Sri Lanka face the possibility of playing the remainder of the Newlands Test match with only three frontline bowlers, after the thigh pain that had hampered Nuwan Pradeep on day one continued into day two.
Pradeep failed to complete his 16th over – the 70th of the innings – when he left the field with obvious pain in his left thigh. He has not bowled since then, but did return to the field – the team management initially believing it was a minor strain which would be fixed by overnight rest.
However, Pradeep reported further pain in his quad as he warmed up on the second morning and has since left the team to undergo a more thorough doctor’s examination than the physiotherapists could provide. The chances of his returning to the bowling crease in the second innings hinge on those results.
Pradeep has recently suffered a string of leg injuries. Hamstring strains kept him out of much of the Australia tour, and a recurrence of that injury ruled him out of the Tests in Zimbabwe as well.
If he is unable to bowl again in the match, Sri Lanka will have suffered a substantial blow to their bowling stocks as Pradeep represents one of Sri Lanka’s primary wicket-taking options.
The visitors will be buoyed by Dinesh Chandimal’s recovery, however. Chandimal had given up the gloves to Kusal Mendis on day one after suffering from a fever ahead of the Test. He took up his position as wicketkeeper again on day two, which may help keep Mendis fresh for his new batting role at No.3, following a reshuffle in the Sri Lanka batting order.
Sri Lanka have suggested that Dhananjaya de Silva will bat at No. 4 – the place vacated by Mendis’ promotion – while Upul Tharanga is expected to come in at No. 7.
Andrew Fidel Fernando is ESPNcricinfo’s Sri Lanka correspondent. @andrewffernando
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo