Chameera to miss the first test against India

The young and talented Sri Lankan fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera, is expected to miss Sri Lanka’s first test against India  being played in Galle, starting  12th August, owing to a side strain which has kept him from international cricket since the second test against Pakistan.

“We were unfortunate to miss Chameera in the Test and in the ODIs, he would have definitely been a determining factor had he been fit,” Sri Lanka Cricket chief selector Kapila Wijegunawardene said.

“Chameera is being monitored closely and undergoing treatment. A side strain is not serious,but is painful, one which sometimes can take a long time to heal. The muscles are all attached to your bones and it takes a little while longer.

“We are hoping that by the second Test against India he will be ready. We don’t want to rush him because we want him fit and ready because having him makes a huge difference to the composition of our attack.”

Chameera was the hero in the second test against Pakistan last month, as he helped bowl Pakistan out, with a match haul of 4 wickets on his debut but suffered from a side strain in the same test and has been away from the international scene since.

Chameera showed express pace which troubled the Pakistani batsmen. He is an interesting prospect for the Sri Lankans as they are struggling with their bowling. The spearhead of the attack Lasith Malinga has dropped some pace and is not as lethal as he was anymore. Chameera, with his express pace has the potential to revive the strength of Sri Lanka’s bowling. He currently has 5 wickets from 3 ODIs and 4 wickets from the single test he played. These numbers are definitely expected to rise in the future, as Sri Lanka has also pinned their hopes on Chameera, to bring back the vigour in their bowling attack.

Here’s wishing him a speedy recovery!