Knee injury forces cricketer out of first Test
Published:Friday | July 3, 2009 | 1:24 PM
A knee injury has forced spin great Muttiah Muralitharan out of Sri Lanka\'s side for the first cricket Test against visitors Pakistan starting tomorrow.
Captain Kumar Sangakkara says uncapped offspinner Suraj Kaluhalmulla and left-arm spinner Rangana Herath have been brought into the squad as potential replacements.
The 24-year-old Kaluhalmulla who has just converted to Buddhism from Islam after being known as Suraj Mohamed, has taken 180 wickets in 50 matches during his first-class career.
The 31-year-old Herath has long been on the fringes of the national team, playing 14 tests over 10 years with 36 wickets.
The test comes four months after a deadly terror attack on Sri Lanka\'s team in Pakistan.
The terrorist ambush outside Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore killed six police officers and a driver and wounded seven Sri Lanka players.