Dilshan ruled out of Rose Bowl Test

Tillakaratne Dilshan, the Sri Lanka captain, has been ruled out of the third Test at the Rose Bowl because of his fractured right thumb.

Dilshan sustained the injury during the Lord's Test, where he made 193 in the first innings but was unable to take the field during England's innings and didn't bat a second time for Sri Lanka.

Kumar Sangakkara, who resigned from the captaincy after the World Cup, led the side in his absence and could do so again at the Rose Bowl but batsman Thilan Samaraweera is also a candidate after captaining the side in the recent tour game against Essex.

Sri Lanka's manager Anura Tennekoon said: "The main reason we've kept him [Dilshan] out of this Test match is that, had he played and got another blow while fielding on that thumb, he might have been out for the rest of the tour. So as a precautionary measure, we have kept him out."

James Anderson, who is set to return from injury for England, knows how key Dilshan was to Sri Lanka. "It's going to be a huge blow for them because he is a key player, their captain, but whoever comes in is going to be a quality player and we've got to prepare for that."

Lahiru Thirimanne, the 21-year-old left-hand opener, is expected to replace Dilshan after impressing with a century against Essex.