Injury puts Karunaratne in doubt for Windies series

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, CMC – Sri Lanka are in danger of losing opener Dimuth Karunaratne for their three-Test tour of the Caribbean next month, after he fractured a finger in practice on Wednesday.

The 30-year-old picked up the injury while practicing in the nets for a limited-overs tournament and now faces a race to be fit for the June -27 series.

Sri Lanka’s cricket board said Karunaratne would be assessed by a specialist “to determine the injury management and return to play time frame.”

The left-hander is a key member of the Sri Lanka side and has played 49 Tests and scored 3 186 runs at an average of 34.

When West Indies toured Sri Lanka three years ago, he struck a magnificent 186 in Galle, to spur the hosts to an emphatic innings and six-run victory inside four days.

Sri Lanka’s upcoming tour of the Caribbean will be their fourth, with Tests scheduled for Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad, Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia and Kensington Oval in Barbados.