Sri Lanka received a massive jolt on Friday when Lasith Malinga was ruled out of action for 16 weeks due to a surgery on his troublesome left ankle. Malinga has been sent to Australia to undergo surgery on his ankle. The duration means that Malinga will only be able to resume full training and practice just a week before Sri Lanka’s opening match against New Zealand in Christchurch on February 14.
Speaking to the Sri Lankan Daily Mirror, Sri Lankan chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya said, “Malinga will leave for Australia on Saturday morning as we are keen to see him recover as early as possible for the World Cup. Obviously, he is one of the most crucial players for Sri Lanka’s chances.”
This means Malinga will miss the seven-match ODI series against England in November-December and will miss Sri Lanka’s tour to New Zealand in December-January. Jayasuriya said that it was important that Malinga plays some ODIs during the New Zealand series as it was important to regain match fitness and rhythm just before the start of the World Cup.
Malinga will undergo Arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle at the Avenue Private Hospital in Melbourne. After the operation, Malinga will stay in the country for two weeks. Sri Lanka’s team physiotherapist Steve Mount said that Malinga had a long term issue with a chronic left ankle pain due to a combination of cartilage degeneration, excessive bone in the joint and bone marrow ocedema. Before the serious nature of the injury was diagnosed, Malinga was receiving anti-inflammatory injections. However, the bowler’s left ankle did not respond to treatment two weeks ago.
Mount said, “Up until this point, this has been successfully managed with conservative, non-operative measures. This includes ongoing physio/rehab/load management and anti-inflammatory (cortisone) injections into the joint when the issue has flared up. He has reported an increasing amount of pain while bowling and running over the last couple of weeks. While previously the issue has been manageable, this latest episode has not allowed him to bowl/run at his required intensity. He had an injection on the 5/9, however, unlike past episodes, this has failed to reduce his symptoms.”
Malinga retired from Test cricket in 2010 due to a degenerative knee condition and played only ODIs and T20Is. However, he was below par in the recent series against Pakistan and it seemed that he was not 100 percent fit.
