Slipped disc rules Karunaratne out of Yorkshire contract

Dimuth Karunaratne is attended to his back by Sri Lankan team physio Brett Harrop during 

the second Test against Pakistan at Galle

• Lankan Test captain sidelined for 6 weeks
• Aggravated injury by batting in second innings of Pakistan Test

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Sri Lanka’s Test cricket captain Dimuth Karunaratne will not be able to fulfil the second half of his contract with English county Yorkshire after being ruled out with a slipped disc that will see him out of action for at least six weeks.

Karunaratne was due to leave for Yorkshire for the remainder of the season and play in the English County Championship which is due to recommence on the first week of September after The Hundred. He had earlier appeared for Yorkshire in three matches in April-May before returning home to lead his country in the Test series against Bangladesh, Australia and Pakistan.    

Karunaratne suffered the injury during the second Test against Pakistan at Galle last month, but at that time it was diagnosed as “suffering from a lower back pain”. He had felt some discomfort while batting in the first innings and he did not take the field during Pakistan’s first innings. Vice-captain Dhananjaya de Silva led the team in Karunaratne’s absence.

In Sri Lanka’s second innings Karunaratne came to bat at the fall of the fourth wicket as he was not on the field throughout the Pakistan first innings and went onto score his 31st Test fifty, clearly batting with pain and being attended constantly by the team physio Brett Harrop during his 167 minutes at the wicket.

“It has been diagnosed as a slipped disc after I did the MRI scan on 28 July. I think I aggravated it by batting in the second innings by taking painkillers. The report states from L5 to L3 the discs have been affected. They said that I might have had this injury without knowing and it had gradually worsened as we played successive Test matches within a period of four weeks. I have been told that it will take around six weeks to recover,” said Karunaratne.

The MRI report states: “Mild scoliosis of the lumbar region with minor indentations of thecal sac due to degenerative discs.”

Karunaratne is wearing a belt around his waist and asked to rest his injured back. “When I bend forward, I get a pain. The treatment is rehab and courses daily.” He is expected to recover by the first week of September. “Until the six weeks is complete, I cannot say when I will be able to play again.”

Thankfully, Sri Lanka don’t have a Test series until March next year which gives Karunaratne enough time to recover from his injury. Sri Lanka plays New Zealand in two Tests which are part of the ICC World Test Championship. Karunaratne however will be out of the SLC Major League 3-day tournament that is due to commence on 19 August.