Sri Lanka veteran Herath to miss third Test against India

Colombo Aug 8 (IANS) The Sri Lanka Cricket on Tuesday confirmed that veteran spinner Rangana Herath will sit out the third Test against India at Pallakelle due to back stiffness.

The 39-year-old a veteran of 83 Tests bowled 91 overs in the first two Tests which the hosts lost to India. The third Test begins on August 12.

"The decision comes as a result of SLC s Sports Medicine Unit declaring Herath ‘unavailable for selection due to an increased risk of injury calculated from his workload leading up to the 3rd Test " a SLC statement read.

"A heavy investment in Sports medicine & Player Management over the past six months with the recruitment of specialised Trainers and Physios as well as implementation of state-of-the-art assessment and monitoring systems has begun to pay dividends in injury management of the National Performance Squad " it added.

Herath was injured in the first Test while fielding but recovered sufficiently to play in the second Test.

--IANS
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