Tharanga set to return for Third Test

Chris DHAMBARAGE

CRICKET: Sri Lanka’s premier opening batsman Upul Tharanga is set to make his return to international cricket during the third and final cricket Test match against the touring Bangladesh team at the Asgiriya Stadium next week.

The twenty-two-year-old elegant left hander was left out from the Sri Lanka team after he suffered a hairline fracture on his left heel after being hit by a yorker from Lasith Malinga during practices.

Tharanga has made steady progress since his injury and has recovered well through a series of fitness sessions which he followed under the guidance of team physio Tommy Simsek.

He will go through another fitness test probably when he represents his club NCC in their under 23 tournament fixture against Kandy YCC at Maitland Place starting today.

Tharanga’s comeback into competitive cricket will certainly cause more problems for the national selectors who are anyway focused in making a couple of changes for the third Test as Sri Lanka have already clinched the series having won back to back matches at the SSC ground and P. Saravanamuttu Stadium.

Chairman national selectors Ashantha de Mel welcomed the return of Upul Tharanga who has been a major force in Sri Lanka’s success in both tests and one dayers during the past few months.

Tharanga is currently averaging well over 30 in both forms of the game.

Tharanga who made his Test debut against India at Ahemadabad in 2005 has so far collected a total of 675 runs from 12 matches with a career best knock of 165.

In addition, he has a tally of 1,829 runs from 58 one-day internationals including six hundreds and eight half centuries.

Chairman national selectors Ashantha de Mel said that the two other openers both Michael Van Dort and Malinda Warnapura have performed extremely well at least once during the last two Tests and will be even thinking about giving the pair another chance.

Another area where Sri Lanka are planning to make a change for the third test is their bowling department following the absence of their premier fast bowler Chaminda Vaas.

The left arm paceman who scored his maiden century during the first Test at the SSC grounds will be returning back to England to rejoin the English County side Middlesex for the latter stages of the season.

Ashantha de Mel said that another left arm seamer Sujeewa de Silva who had earlier played two Test matches against Bangladesh will be the ideal replacement although Farveez Maharoof and Malinga Bandara are also in contention for a place in the final eleven.

He said that Maharoof is bowling extremely well at the moment and they would probably cut short one of the batsman from the top order to accommodate and extra fast bowlers and one spinner in the side.

The Sri Lanka team fresh after their innings and 90 run victory in the second Test match at the P. Saravanamuttu Stadium will leave for Kandy on Sunday and will have their first training session on Monday afternoon and again on Tuesday Morning.