Injured Kusal Perera retained in squad, confident he will be fit

 Kusal Perera with head coach Mickey Arthur

• SLC to take a call on head coach at the end of T20 World Cup
• Lahiru Madushanka ruled out 

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Sri Lanka Cricket is pinning their hopes on explosive opening batsman and wicket-keeper Kusal Perera would recover in time from a hamstring injury and be available for selection for the T20 World Cup Qualifiers starting on 17 October.  

Sri Lanka’s first game is on 18 October against Namibia at Abu Dhabi.

Perera suffered a hamstring injury while batting in the third and final T20I against South Africa at the R. Premadasa Stadium last Tuesday and although he top scored for his team with an aggressive knock of 39 off 33 balls he did not take the field during South Africa’s run chase.

All-rounder Lahiru Madushanka was also injured in the same match suffering a fractured collarbone.

Sri Lanka Cricket CEO Ashley de Silva said that Madushanka has been ruled out of the T20 World Cup and will be replaced, but Perera has been retained in the 15-member squad that also has 4 reserves.

“Kusal is out for three weeks so we need to get further feedback on him from the physio. It’s not a serious injury. We hope that he will be fit by the time we play the World Cup,” said De Silva.

“I am not sure whether Kusal will be fit to play in the two practice matches against Oman but he should be ready to play in the two warm-up games arranged by the ICC ahead of the World Cup qualifiers. When it comes to hamstring injury it takes a long time for it to heal, so it has to be monitored. You can’t put a date on when he will be fit to play. It all depends on how quickly he heals. The physio will let us know what the position is.”

Sri Lanka are due to play Oman who are also one of the qualifying teams on 7 and 9 of October. The team is due to leave for Oman on 2 October.

“The squad will go into a bubble on 21 September and start training after two days on 24 September at the Khettarama Stadium. I don’t know whether Kusal would be fit enough to train because I was told he was going to be out for about three weeks or so. We can wait till 10 October to name the final 15 for the World Cup. We will not name anybody till then but we might have to take a few more extra players, go there and then take a call,” De Silva said.

Perera is a vital cog in the wheel of Sri Lanka’s batting and they will badly need him for the three qualifying round matches to make it to the tournament proper the Super12s. In the two innings he played against South Africa, there was a big difference in Perera’s batting and the rest who have been struggling against South Africa’s spinners.   

De Silva said the initial practice session on 24 September will feature the normal squad of 18 players and also include a few more players, a decision which SLC will take today.

Following the white ball series against South Africa, the Sri Lankan players have been given a break to be with their families till 21 September when they will go into a bubble again and remain in it throughout till the end of the T20 World Cup.

De Silva said that SLC will take a call on head coach Mickey Arthur when his two-year contract comes up for renewal in December.

“At this stage we don’t want to talk about it because we are going for the T20 World Cup. We would review his performance at the end of the T20 World Cup and take a call,” said De Silva.