SL wait on Herath's fitness, Mathews recovers

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has overcome the Achilles concern that forced him off the field early during Scotland's innings on Thursday, team manager Michael de Zoysa has said. However, Rangana Herath's availability for the quarter-final against South Africa on March 18 has not yet been confirmed.

Herath had the stitches on his spinning finger removed on Friday, but although it had been hoped he would resume bowling in the nets on Saturday, he has not yet bowled in Sri Lanka's training sessions. "We're just giving him an extra day to heal," de Zoysa said. "He'll start bowling on Sunday I think."

Despite the minor setback, Herath is likely to be available for the quarter-final in Sydney. Following the Scotland match, vice-captain Lahiru Thirimanne had said he was "80% sure" Herath would have sufficiently recovered for the next game. Herath had received the cut on his finger during the penultimate over of Sri Lanka's match against England on March 1. He missed the two subsequent games.

Mathews' Achilles complaints simply required rest, de Zoysa said. Mathews did not attend the optional training session on Saturday either, but will begin netting again on Sunday.

Both men are vital to the balance of Sri Lanka's XI. Mathews provides steady medium pace to go with his batting and captaincy, while Herath has largely been adept at controlling the opposition run rate through the middle overs.