Thushara called in as cover for Muralitharan

Thilan Thushara, the left-arm seamer, has been called in as cover for Muttiah Muralitharan in the Sri Lankan squad for the ICC World Twenty20. Murali injured his groin in the tournament opener against New Zealand and missed the game against Zimbabwe. He has been given time to recover and Thushara will only play if he is ruled out of the tournament.

"Thushara will join the national team as additional cover for Muralitharan, who is recovering from a groin injury," Ashley de Silva, Sri Lanka Cricket's head of operations, was quoted by PA as saying. "However, he will only be considered for selection if Muralitharan is unable to take further part in the World Twenty20."

Sri Lanka play their first Super Eight Game on May 7, against West Indies in Barbados.