Lasith Malinga rested for second test against India because of stiff knee
Lasith Malinga who played a vital role in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 will miss the second test beginning from the 26th of July in Colombo. Malinga will be rested for the second test because of some stiffness in his knees. Lasith picked up five wickets haul in second innings of the first test match. Malinga has become Sri Lanka’s prime wicket-taker and has earned respect from all corners of the cricketing world.
Dilhara Fernando will replace Malinga for second test while http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ajantha-c42419 Mendis has also returned in the squad. Mendis, who was initially not part of the squad but his brilliant performance with Sri Lanka Board President’s XI, has earned a place in the national squad. Mendis picked up six wickets against India in a warm up match.
Lasith was one of the architects in Sri Lanka’s ten wicket victory against India in Galle. Sri Lankan selection chairman Aravinda de Silva explained the decision that Malinga was rested on advice of team physiotherapist Tommy Simsek. The pacer had complained of stiffness in his right knee after the end of first innings. Malinga’s right knee has previously also caused problems for him. It was because of this knee problem that he was kept out of test cricket for almost 30 months. "We have to be cautious with Malinga. He was not feeling quite fit to go through a five-day Test. He complained of stiffness in his knee," de Silva said. "We are closely monitoring Malinga's fitness and we are hopeful he will be fully fit for the third Test starting in ten days time." Aravinda said ahead of the third Test that starts on August 3 at the P Sara Oval.
Malinga was making a comeback in test cricket after a gap of 30 months. He quickly made his mark in the second innings when he powered through the star-studded Indian batting line-up. Malinga left the ground early in India’s second innings because of some stiffness in his knee. However, by that time, he had done the damage by picking up five wickets in the second innings.
It’s a massive blow for the Sri Lankan camp since it will be their first test match after their legendary bowler Murali bowed out of test cricket. Sri Lanka will now enter the second test match without the services of their two prime bowlers.
Mendis is most likely to replace Murali for the second test match. Off spinner Suraj Randiv is another contender for a place in the playing eleven. Mendis impressed everyone with his performance of 6 for 67 against India in a warm-up match.
Following Murali’s retirement from test cricket, Mahela Jayawardene has been named as the vice-captain of Sri Lankan’s test squad. "We want Mahela, who has a good cricket brain, to be part of the decision-making process in the middle," de Silva said.
Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lankan captain after the first test was full of praise for Malinga’s supreme performance. He said, "When we came here on the first day, we got to a good start. The second day was washed out and there were some doubts in my mind whether we could get a result. Once we got that 500 platform and the way Lasith (Malinga) bowled, there was no way we were going to lose the match," Kumar said.
Even Indian captain http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MS-Dhoni-c2028 appreciated the superb bowling performance of Malinga who said that his bowling was the main reason for India’s batting collapse. The Indian skipper was bowled by Malinga in the second innings with a superb in-swinging yorker. "If you see Malinga, you can't really say he changes his action to let the ball come in or take it out," he said. "He bowls in the same areas with the new ball and at times it comes in, at times it goes away. It can be a bit difficult for the opening batsmen, especially when he is bowling the first couple of over’s, which he will do more often than not. It was one of those games where the ball fell at the right place."
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