Sri Lanka Cricket has asked fast bowler Lasith Malinga to return early from the IPL to undergo a rehabilitation program after Malinga made himself unavailable for Sri Lanka’s upcoming Test series in England. Malinga had written to the board to say he was unavailable for the three tests starting from May 26, citing injury. However, he has continued to play in the IPL for the Mumbai Indians - where he is the side’s main bowler.
"It looks a bit awkward when someone says he is injured and continues to play cricket," Sri Lanka’s new chairman of selectors Duleep Mendis said. "That is the reason why we have decided to write to Malinga and ask him to return home and undergo a rehabilitation programme. Malinga has specifically mentioned in a letter that he is not available for Test matches right now because he has a nagging knee problem.
"When the player says that he is injured and he has to undergo a rehab programme what we can do is to tell him to undergo it immediately without continuing to play cricket in the IPL, and then get ready for cricket in Sri Lanka if he is interested in playing for his country."
Malinga has been a key part of Sri Lanka’s ODI and T20 sides, but has not figured in Test matches. He returned to Test cricket last year with two Tests against India where he picked up 10 wickets showing he could be effective in the longer format too. However, those were the only two Tests he has played for Sri Lanka since December 2007.
Nishantha Ranatunga, the SLC secretary, also expressed concerns over Malinga’s absence from the Test team. "We are very much concerned about Malinga because he is an important product in the team," Ranatunga said. "He should be up and running to play in all three formats of the game. In that sense getting him fit and ready to play at full strength is very important."
-Cricbuzz
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