SLC hopeful of Kaushal Silva recovery

Tuesday, 26 April 2016 00:10 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

ESPNCricinfo: Sri Lanka Cricket is optimistic about Kaushal Silva’s availability for the forthcoming Test series against England in May.

The 29-year old opening batsman had been struck on the back of his head while fielding in a Pallekele practice match on Sunday and was airlifted to a hospital in Colombo as a precautionary measure. Initial CAT scans indicated he was out of danger.

“Kaushal appears to be okay now,” SLC secretary Mohan de Silva said on Monday. “They were to take another scan today, and depending on that, he may be discharged late this evening.”

BUP_DFTDFT-24-02 Kaushal Silva

Silva is almost certain to miss at least a week of training as he recovers from the injury. He sustained it at short leg, struck by a powerful sweep from Dinesh Chandimal. The ball is said to have made impact with the helmet’s padded rear attachment, a design feature that came into use following the death of Philip Hughes. Team-mates believe Silva would have suffered a more substantial injury had he been wearing a helmet without that added protection.

“Maybe in a week or 10 days, he might be able to start playing again, according to the coach [Graham Ford],” de Silva said. “He looks good for the tour, but the coach doesn’t want to risk him again immediately. We’ll have to wait for another couple of days to determine exactly what the situation is.”

With the Sri Lankan squad not scheduled to depart for England until 3 May, Silva has some time to get better and a century in that practice match before he was injured adds to his chances of a comeback. Silva had been dropped for the December tour of New Zealand, but had opened the batting for Sri Lanka from January 2013 to November 2015. He had hit twin fifties at Lord’s in Sri Lanka’s most recent tour to England in 2014.

The Sri Lankan selectors have picked a preliminary 20-member team which includes three specialist openers - Silva, Dimuth Karunaratne and Tharanga Paranavitana - and will trim it on Wednesday.

Sindh governor calls for resumption of cricketing ties between Pakistan, Sri Lanka

KARACHI: A 38-member delegation led by the Sri Lankan Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya called on Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan at the Governor House on Saturday.

Ebad spoke of the very close friendly ties between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. He called for promoting the trade, economic and academic ties between the two countries. The governor also called for resumption of cricketing ties between Pakistan and Sri Lanka and that this should start from Karachi.

He pointed out that Sri Lanka eliminated the menace of terrorism after three decades. He said that the armed forces had also broken the back of terrorists who were now on the run. The Sri Lankan speaker said that he was very happy to undertake a visit to Pakistan.

He stated that Pakistan was a most suitable country for religious tourism. The speaker said that he also desired that cricket matches between the two countries should be resumed without any delay. He also invited the Sindh governor to visit Sri Lanka.