Sri Lanka struggle with spate of injuries

Nuwan Zoysa will miss Sri Lanka's postponed tour of New Zealand because of a lingering knee injury that now requires surgery, and Muttiah Muralitharan is also virtually certain to miss the entire tour, which starts on March 26 and includes two Tests at Napier and Wellington.

Zoysa broke down with the knee problem about three weeks ago, during the early stages of the provincial tournament. Sri Lanka Cricket's physiotherapy department tried to avoid surgery, but the knee failed to respond to treatment and now he will be sent to Australia to see Dr David Young, Sri Lanka's Melbourne-based surgeon.

"It is very likely that Zoysa has a tear of the medial meniscus inside his knee," CJ Clarke, the national team's physiotherapist, told reporters. "An MRI scan and a bone scan have been inconclusive, and we've therefore decided to send him for diagnostic arthroscopy and a general clean-up in Australia.

"The general recovery time for this is four to six weeks, but there is no need to rush him back into action too early," Clarke added. "We can build up his workload gradually and give him some A-team cricket before the next national tour against the West Indies in July."

Murali has not officially been ruled out of the New Zealand series yet, but he's still complaining of stiffness and some pain. He is due to start the second stage of rehabilitation on March 17 and resume bowling again, but Clarke believes that "New Zealand now looks unrealistic".

There may also be a few concerns in Lancashire, where Muralitharan is contracted to play during the first half of the summer. Murali, increasingly frustrated after the longest injury layoff of his career, is confident of being ready by the end of April - but Clarke appears more wary, saying: "His suitability for England depends on the rehabilitation period."

Murali was first sidelined in August, when he pulled out of a home series against South Africa and travelled to Australia to have an internal cyst drained in his bowling shoulder. After rehabilitation he returned on schedule to play in three tsunami fundraisers in Australia and New Zealand before further pain prompted more surgery.

Zoysa and Murali are not the only injury concerns, either. After an especially demanding provincial-tournament schedule during February, several other fast bowlers are struggling with injuries, including Farveez Maharoof (knee), Lasith Malinga (back), Dilhara Fernando (knee) and Ruchira Perera (side).

"Farveez, Lasith and Ruchira are all now responding well to treatment and we expect them to be fine for New Zealand," revealed Clarke. "Dilhara, though, is a minor concern as his knee is making slow progress. We may have to give him clean-up surgery in the break."

Clarke believes that too much cricket is the simple cause for the mini injury crisis: "The guys have had a very heavy workload in the last month, some of them playing 12 days out of a 16-day period. With travelling as well that will always be difficult."

The spate of injuries leaves the selectors, who are scheduled to pick their final tour squad on Monday, with a headache. Chaminda Vaas and Nuwan Kulasekera are the only injury-free fast bowlers among the original tour party, and a couple of new faces could be on the cards.

The one good news story is that Prabath Nissanka, the almost-forgotten pace bowler who was sidelined in mid-2003, has battled his way back from chronic tendonitis of the knees and a series of hamstring tears to return to practice with the national side.

"Prabath has been bowling in the nets and will also take part in the Mercantile Tournament," said Clarke. "Obviously, after two years out of the game, he is short of match fitness but he's back bowling and that's excellent news. The knee will still have to be managed carefully though as the tendonitis is a long-term problem."