Jayasuriya's shoulder injury not serious

The injury-hit Sri Lankan squad got something to cheer about after Sanath Jayasuriya's MRI scans showed no serious tendon damage from his shoulder dislocation. Described as "very lucky" by his doctors, he is now set for a quick return to the field, possibly against India on Wednesday afternoon, assuming the swelling and soreness of the injury can subside in time.

Jayasuriya's high-risk decision to bat in the first one-day international against India created concern that he might have aggravated damage to his rotator cuff, the most important tendon in the shoulder joint, but the scans only revealed a build-up of fluid. The final report from the MRI scan is to be reviewed in Colombo on Monday by Dr David Young, Sri Lanka Cricket's Melbourne-based surgeon.

"The doctor told him he was very lucky," confirmed Michael Tissera, Sri Lanka's manager. "There appears to have been no tendon damage and only some fluid build-up in the joint. We are not sure at this stage about exactly when he will be able to return but he will definitely play again in this tournament."

Jayasuriya sat out the team's two-and-a-half hour training session on Monday morning and is almost certain to miss Sri Lanka's game against West Indies on Tuesday, although Marvan Atapattu was keeping his cards close to his chest at a media briefing: "We will assess his position tomorrow and if he is fit he will obviously play. There is a good chance of Upul [Tharanga] playing and opening if Sanath cannot play."

Sri Lanka have also been boosted by the news that Nuwan Zoysa's back injury, which forced him to be sent to Colombo for assessment, has turned out to be a back spasm and not the feared strain or stress fracture. "We sent Zoysa to Colombo thinking there was a back problem but it seems to have been just a back spasm and he feels much better now," revealed Atapattu. "We will assess him when we get back to Colombo with a full fitness test."

Chaminda Vaas's hamstring injury is also responding well to treatment, although Atapattu made it clear that his return would be delayed until he was really needed: "Chaminda has progressed a lot and has been receiving treatment from CJ Clarke [the physiotherapist] every day. We will keep him for the more important games and will try to delay his comeback as much as possible."