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Sri Lanka missing stars

Sri Lanka missing stars

07/24/2010 07:52:29 PM

Sri Lanka's bowling attack will look much less intimidating to India for the second Test in Colombo and not just because of the retirement of record wicket taker Muttiah Muralitharan.

Muralitharan took his 800th wicket with his last delivery in Test cricket as Sri Lanka won the opening match of the series in Galle, but both he and quick Lasith Malinga, another key component in that win, will be missing next week.

Malinga is to sit out the match with a slight problem in his troublesome knee, which Sri Lanka hope can be cured with rest, allowing him to play in the third Test which starts on August 3.

Mahela Jayawardene, who has been promoted to vice-captain in the wake of Muralitharan's retirement, told The Hindu newspaper of Malinga's injury: "It's nothing serious. It's more of a precautionary thing. We want to preserve him for the World Cup since he is a match-winner."

Malinga only returned to Test cricket in Galle after a lengthy absence, and returned figures of five for 50 in the second innings.

Malinga and Muralitharan combined to take 15 of the 20 Indian wickets in the match, and their absences are a major blow for Sri Lanka.

Dilhara Fernando is to step in and replace Malinga, while spinner Ajantha Mendis gets his place back with Muralitharan gone.

Sri Lanka can at least be optimistic about the impact Mendis might be able to make in the game after he took six for 67 in a warm-up match against the Indians, only to miss the opening Test.

Sri Lanka have also included something of a wild-card in their squad in the form of the 23-year-old Nuwan Pradeep, who has made a rapid rise having only played cricket with a leather ball for the first time three years ago.

Sporting a round-arm action and capable of swinging the ball both ways, Pradeep's overriding attribute is extreme pace and accuracy, and Sri Lanka hope he can be the latest in a line of unorthodox but highly successful bowlers.

India cannot afford to be undone by any more surprises.

It was second best in Galle, and the absences of Zaheer Khan and Sreesanth showed as they struggled with the ball.

The lack of a true all-rounder has come up as a topic again for India in the days after the defeat, but that is not a problem that will be solved any time soon, but India must simply make the best of what they have.

That is likely to mean they line up again with four bowlers and try to win with their batting.

"The [four-bowler] theory has worked well for us and given us the No.1 ranking," Mahendra Singh Dhoni said in quotes reported by the Times of India.

"We will stick to it unless we find a perfect all-rounder, which doesn't really seem to be the case right now. It is very tough to play with five bowlers."

 
Photograph Copyright : Getty Images

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