Jayawardene called in as replacement

Their former captain has recovered from his injury in time to cover up for Chamara Silva out with a broken thumb, as more injury concerns add to Sri Lanka's woes.

Sri Lanka's line-up for the Tri-Nations tournament in Bangladesh received a welcome boost yesterday with the news that their former captain Mahela Jayawardene has been given the green light to join the rest of the squad as cover. Jayawardene had missed the original flight to Bangladesh due to an injury of his own, but has recovered suitably to cover for his ailing compatriots.

The opener Mahela Udawatte and uncapped wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Chandimal have been called up alongside Jayawardene. "He is now fit and ready to play," the team manager Brendon Kuruppu said of Jayawardene's own health concerns.

The call-ups became necessary after news that middle-order batsman Chamara Silva's tournament was over due to a broken thumb. The in-form opener Tillakaratne Dilshan and all rounder Muthumudalige Pushpakumara, are others under observation in a injury-ravaged Sri Lankan side. Dilshan suffered a groin injury on Monday on his way to a match-winning century in the opening match of the tournament against Bangladesh which forced him to miss the win over India on Tuesday.

"He is not ruled out yet but we will assess his situation before our next match to see if he can play," said Kuruppu. Pushpakumara injured his right shoulder while fielding during the India match. Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by seven wickets before cruising to a five-wicket victory against India. They face hosts Bangladesh in their next match tomorrow. * With agencies