Asela Gunaratne may not play a further part in the ongoing Galle Test, and is in doubt for the remainder of the series, after he sustained a fracture in his left thumb while fielding. Having had a preliminary test in Galle, Gunaratne is being transported to Colombo, where a specialist will be consulted, and a decision on whether surgery is required will be made.
He had picked up the injury in the 14th over of the first morning. Fielding at second slip to the bowling of Lahiru Kumara, Gunaratne dived to his left to intercept an edge off Shikhar Dhawan’s bat, only for the ball to hit him on the end of the thumb. The catch was dropped, and Gunaratne immediately clutched his hand in pain. Soon after, he left the ground clutching his wrist.
The loss of Gunaratne is a substantial blow to Sri Lanka. Not only does his slow-bowling bring balance to the side, he is also in good batting form, having hit a crucial 80 not out in a record fourth-innings chase against Zimbabwe last week.
Dhawan, who was reprieved on 31 went on to completed a century off 110 balls, after lunch.
Andrew Fidel Fernando is ESPNcricinfo’s Sri Lanka correspondent. @andrewffernando
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo