Cricket | Sri Lanka fret over Kusal Mendis' fitness

Already handicapped by several injuries, Sri Lankan have more worries with concerns over the fitness of top-order batsman Kusal Mendis. The 23-year-old hobbled off the field after attempting to cut down a boundary while fielding in the deep during Sri Lanka's six-wicket loss to India on Monday (March 12). Earlier, he had top-scored with 55 runs as Sri Lanka posted 152 in a rain-reduced game.

Sri Lanka's team manager Asanka Gurusinha told Cricbuzz that Mendis is nursing a quadriceps muscle strain and that the medical staff are monitoring him. He will be under observation for 24 hours and Sri Lanka will have a clearer picture by Wednesday morning.

Mendis has scored back to back half-centuries in the competition and he is the third highest run scorer behind Shikhar Dhawan and Kusal Janith Perera.

Sri Lanka don't have a game till Friday and that gives them time to work on Mendis and get him out on the park for the must-win game against Bangladesh.

The hosts have already lost skipper Angelo Mathews (calf), all-rounder Asela Gunaratne (shoulder) and fast bowler Shehan Madushanka (hamstring) to injuries while stand-in captain Dinesh Chandimal was suspended for two games for a serious slow over rate offence during the defeat to Bangladesh on Saturday.

Sri Lanka started off the Nidahas Trophy tournament in positive fashion by beating India by five wickets in the curtain-raiser of the competition last week, but since then have failed to win their next two games.

(CRICBUZZ)