SA vs SL: All-rounder Angelo Mathews likely to miss Test series
Dec 14, 2020
Colombo [Sri Lanka], December 14 : All-rounder Angelo Mathews is likely to miss Sri Lanka's tour of South Africa due to a hamstring injury he sustained during Colombo Kings' Lanka Premier League semi-final outing on Sunday.
The first Test between Sri Lanka and South Africa will be played from December 26 in Centurion while the second match is scheduled to begin on January 3 in Johannesburg.
According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, the extent of Mathews' injury is not yet known, but the initial prognosis is that he will miss the two Tests in South Africa.
However, he may be available for the home Tests against England, which gets underway on January 14.
"The physio assessed it and said it looks like I will be out of the South Africa series, but I'll get an MRI today to confirm," ESPNcricinfo quoted Mathews as saying.
Sri Lanka coach Mickey Arthur, who arrived in South Africa to make necessary arrangements for the team's arrival was disappointed after learning about Mathews' injury.
"Just arrived in SA and watched commentary of the @LPLT20 well done @GalleGladiators but please can we have no more of our test squad injured @OfficialSLC," Arthur tweeted.
Mathews, who captained the Kings, played all the nine games in LPL but sustained the injury while on a run-up during his fourth over in the semi-final on Sunday. The all-rounder had to immediately leave the field owing to the pain and didn't take further part in the match.
"[The injury] had been building up. I wanted to rest myself and wasn't able to rest myself during the tournament. Even the previous game I felt it a little bit, and then I felt it go in the last game," Mathews said.
After the conclusion of the South Africa tour, Sri Lanka will host England in a two-match Test series. The England series against Sri Lanka was postponed in March this year due to the coronavirus pandemic and the rearranged tour will now be held behind closed doors in Galle.
