Dushmantha Chameera ruled out of England tour with stress fracture

Sri Lankan pacer Dushmantha Chameera has been ruled out of the England tour courtesy of a stress fracture to the lower part of his back. Chameera has also been advised to rest for the next four months and is heading back to Sri Lanka for further treatment and subsequent rest. The injury will also see Chameera miss out on the upcoming tour of Australia at home. The three-match Test series begins on the 26th of July.

The Sri Lankan selectors will convene in an emergency meeting to pick a replacement for the pacer. This is the second setback for the Lankan bowling unit after Dhammika Prasad was ruled out of the tour with a shoulder injury in the tour matches prior to the series.

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Dushamantha Chameera had a decent outing in the first Test at Headingley as he picked up 3/64 in the first innings. His three scalps in the match included the wicket of Jonny Bairstow who was subsequently named as the man of the match. The stress fracture was confirmed after Chameera underwent an MRI/CT scan on Tuesday morning.

Chameera has been involved in five Test matches since his debut in 2015 against Pakistan in June. He has claimed 21 wickets in his name at a healthy average of almost 27. He suffered a side strain after his first Test, which kept him out of the Pallekele Test against Pakistan and played only one Test in the series against India that followed. He also featured in the 2015 edition of the World Cup in Australia.

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The first Test at Headingley ended in a horrific defeat for Angelo Mathews and his band of merry men. They were thrashed out of sight, losing by an innings and 88 runs. The 29-year old Lankan skipper will be hoping that his players give a better account of themselves in the second Test at Chester-le-Street, Durham.