Muttiah Muralitharan is to return to Sri Lanka as their Twenty20 World Cup campaign finally ended on Saturday when it was announced that Sri Lanka would call a replacement for its star spin.
Thushara Thila replace Muralidharan. Spin wizard has been struggling with a groin injury, after the International Cricket Council (ICC) has given permission to call Sri Lanka for the pace bowler, left arm.
Tournament rules say that once replaced, a player can not return at the announcement on Saturday that the World Twenty is done for Murali. He suffered the injury during the defeat of Sri Lanka to open the tournament in New Zealand in Guyana and missed the subsequent victory over Zimbabwe, where he took his place by his teammates out to break Randiv Suraj fungus.
But he played in the Super Eights 57 run win over Sri Lanka West Indies at Kensington Oval here today. After the struggle of Sri Lanka coach Trevor Bayliss, Murali said did not look great substitution. The 29-year-old has represented Sri Lanka Thushara in nine trials, 36 one-day international matches Twenty20 International and five. Twenty20 His last international against Pakistan in August 2009.
Sri Lanka next Super Eights match against Australia on Sunday and losing finalists last year to carry out its global campaign against Twenty20 second round of India in St. Lucia Tuesday.