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Groin injury puts Kulasekara out of series

Sri Lanka fast bowler Nuwan Kulasekara has been ruled out of the five-ODI series against India, after injuring his groin during the first match in Hambantota on Saturday

ESPNcricinfo staff
21-Jul-2012
Nuwan Kulasekara injured his groin while attempting a diving catch  •  AFP

Nuwan Kulasekara injured his groin while attempting a diving catch  •  AFP

Sri Lanka fast bowler Nuwan Kulasekara has been ruled out of the five-ODI series against India, after injuring his groin during the first match in Hambantota on Saturday. While the extent of the injury was not specified, captain Mahela Jayawardene confirmed that he will take not further part in the series at the post-match press conference. A replacement had not yet been discussed, Jayawardene said.
"Nuwan is out of the series. He has got a groin injury. We cannot get a scan here [in Hambantota]. Once we get back to Colombo, we will get a scan done and see the extent of the injury and how long he will have to be out," Jayawardene said. "We will talk to the selectors [about a replacement].
"The A team guys probably would have arrived today in Sri Lanka [after the Zimbabwe tri-series]. There was a selector on [that] tour, so we will get some advice from him [as to] who was in good form and try and come up with a replacement."
Kulasekara had injured himself while attempting a catch that would have got rid of Virender Sehwag: in the eleventh over, with Sehwag on 24, Kulasekara ran in from mid-off and dived forward to collect the ball the batsman had mistimed while trying to loft Thisara Perera over extra cover. He took the catch low down, but the effort was in vain as Sehwag escaped with replays proving inconclusive. He did not bowl after the incident, having completed only five overs in his spell, and only came out to bat at No. 11 with India in control of the match.