BIPIN DANI
Sri Lanka and Lanka Premier League's Dambulla Aura team captain Dasun Shanaka underwent finger injury surgery on Monday, it is learnt. According to the well-placed sources in Colombo, the white ball-captain had injured his right-hand middle finger in early overs while fielding in the match against Kandy Falcons on Sunday night.
The 31-year-old all rounder was taken to the hospital for X-ray and initial reports didn't suggest any major injury and on return to the field Shanaka was keen to bat and desperate to win the match. The team, however, lost the match by 39 runs.
"It is an injury to the top of his old fracture, and as a precautionary measure, the player was again taken to Nawaloka Hospital, where surgery under local anesthesia was performed by Dr. Maithri' 'Maiya" Gunasekera'', one of the sources revealed.
"Shanaka has no bone fracture, it's laceration of the middle finger over the distal interphalangeal joint, and an associated callus broken (osteophyte split) of an old fracture between distal and middle phalanx", the source elaborated.
Interestingly, the surgeon is a reputed rugby personality and a former rugby captain who also served as Sri Lankan Rugby Football Union.
The surgery was overseen by Dambulla team doctor Namal Wijesinghe and the match-day doctor Dhanushka Dewapriya.
"Dasun's availability for the remaining LPL matches will be decided by coach (Mickey Arthur) and our physio Lasantha Ekanayake," one of the doctors, speaking exclusively over the telephone, said.
"Dasun is also "keen" to travel to India for the forthcoming bilateral series and jopes to be fully fit," the doctor added.
The Sri Lankan team will leave for India on 29th December.
Sri Lanka is scheduled to play 3 T-20Is and 3-ODIs on this tour.
