Sri Lanka have suffered a major injury scare on the eve of their Test series with Australia, with in-form batsman Kusal Mendis’s participation in the two-match series under a cloud.
Mendis was fielding under the helmet at short leg when Dilruwan Perera delivered a full toss to Jake Doran who pulled it hard straight into Mendis on day one of the visitors’ sole tour match against the Cricket Australia XI in Hobart.
The Sri Lankan had ducked his head to take cover, putting his hands in front of his helmet, and the ball struck him flush on the hand.
Mendis was in immediate discomfort as teammates rushed to his aid. Footage showed the pinkie finger on his right hand pointing at an unnatural angle and he was in obvious discomfort while being treated by medical staff from both teams as he left the field.
Mendis was a middle-order mainstay for Sri Lanka in their two-Test series with New Zealand that preceded this tour. He hit an unbeaten 141 in the second innings of the drawn first Test in Wellington, and followed that with 67 during the Boxing Day Test to top-score in Sri Lanka’s second innings.
