To add to their woes vice-captain, top batter and wicket-keeper Dinesh Chandimal won’t be making the tour to Zimbabwe as he has still not fully recovered from a thumb injury which he sustained playing in a Mercantile ‘A’ division match last month. The injury required surgery.

Chandimal’s place is filled by the Sri Lanka Army SC’s uncapped 30-year-old right-hand batting all-rounder Asela Gunaratne who has been amongst the runs in the ongoing unofficial test series against West Indies A.

Chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya stated that he was hopeful that Chandimal would recover in time for the one-day tri-series against Zimbabwe and West Indies that starts at Harare on November 14.

The two Tests against Zimbabwe are scheduled to be played at Harare from October 29-November 2 and November 6-10.

The delay in releasing the squad which was picked over a week ago was due to the fitness concerns surrounding key players especially the fast bowlers..

Eventually the Lankan selectors were left with only Suranga Lakmal as the fast bowler who was fit for selection amongst the experienced lot.

How weak the Lankan pace bowling line-up is can be gauged by the fact that Lakmal although being the most experienced of the five fast bowlers picked for the tour has never produced a five-wicket innings haul in Tests in the six years he has played for his country. In 29 Tests he has 60 wickets at an average which is usually associated with a batsman – 49.40. The selectors have no option but to pick him as the spearhead of the fast bowling attack.

“We have picked the best possible line-up of fast bowlers available to us,” said chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya.

“Kasun Madushanka has been bowling well in the ongoing series against West Indies A and Lahiru Gamage is the most experienced Sri Lanka A bowler we have. We picked Lahiru Kumara (Sri Lanka under 19 bowler) because he is good potential for the future,” he said.

All three fast bowlers are uncapped along with Gunaratne. Adding to the woes of the long list of fast bowling injuries are two young fast bowlers Asitha Fernando (hamstring) and Vishwa Fernando (back injury).

Sri Lanka are already beset by injuries to key fast bowlers Dhammika Prasad (shoulder), Nuwan Pradeep (hamstring), Dushmantha Chameera (back stress fracture) and one-day specialist Lasith Malinga (knee). They have also lost the services of Shaminda Eranga reported for a suspect bowling action.

In the absence of Chandimal, Jayasuriya said that Niroshan Dickwella who has been picked in the squad would most probably be taking over the wicket-keeping gloves although there is also Kusal Perera who has kept wickets for Sri Lanka in Tests.

Dimuth Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva are the two established openers, but Perera can also play the dual-purpose role of opener or late order batsman. The Lankan batting seems settled with the exception of Chandimal whose absence will put extra pressure on the rest of the batters to perform.

The spin department is once again headed by the experienced and most capped current Sri Lanka Test player left-armer Rangana Herath who will be supported by off-spinner Dilruwan Perera and left-arm chinaman Lakshan Sandakan.

The match was unique in the annals of Sri Lanka cricket because a pink ball instead of the customary red was used for the first time in a match.

The pink ball is being trialed by virtually every Test playing country as the ICC at some point of time wants Test cricket to be played under lights.

The first over bowled with the pink ball by Sri Lanka under 19 fast bowler Asitha Fernando saw seven runs being scored by West Indies A openers Rajendra Chandrika and Keiran Powell.

However the opening partnership didn’t last long when off the second over Lahiru Kumara trapped Chandrika lbw for five.

West Indies A lost two further wickets to be 56-3 before skipper Sharmarh Brooks and Vishaul Singh staged a recovery with a partnership of 125.

But once Brooks was dismissed for a well compiled 65 off 107 balls (9 fours) West Indies A suffered another batting collapse losing three wickets for four runs to slump to 185-6. However with Singh putting up staunch resistance at one end, he found an able partner in Kemar Roach and the two raised the total by 66 before Sri Lanka A once again broke through to bowl them out.

Singh was unlucky to miss out on his hundred by four runs when he was caught by Sri Lanka Test player Lahiru Thirimanne who snapped up four catches. Singh hit nine fours in his 187 ball innings.

Roach was left stranded on 45 not out when the Lanka A bowler cleaned up the tail in quick succession. Gunaratne who broke the Brooks-Singh stand had the best figures among the bowlers with three for 27 off 16 overs.

Sri Lanka A faced one over without scoring a run. The match continues today.