Sri Lanka’s 2015 World Cup preparations suffered a jolt with Lasith Malinga travelling to Australia on Saturday (September 20) to undergo an ankle surgery which could put him out of action for up to 16 weeks.
Malinga will be racing against the clock to get fit, and might only be able to resume training as late as a one or two weeks before Sri Lanka begin their World Cup campaign with a fixture against New Zealand in Christchurch on February 14.
“Malinga will leave for Australia on Saturday morning as we are keen to see him recover as early as possible for the World Cup,” Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka’s chief selector, told Daily Mirror. “Obviously, he is one of the most crucial players for Sri Lanka’s chances.”
Malinga is expected to miss the seven-match One-Day International series at home against England, which starts on November 26, as well as the seven-match ODI series away against New Zealand, which starts on January 11.
“We hope he will be able to play a few matches against New Zealand as it is important to get match fitness before World Cup starts,” said Jayasuriya.
Malinga, who played three games for Mumbai Indians in the Oppo Champions League Twenty20 2014 before they were knocked out in the qualifiers, will undergo the arthroscopy surgery on his left ankle immediately upon his arrival at The Avenue Private Hospital in Melbourne. He will remain in the country for at least two weeks after the operation to recuperate.
According to Steve Mount, Sri Lanka’s physiotherapist, Malinga has suffered “a long term issue with chronic left ankle pain due to a combination of cartilage degeneration, excessive bone in the joint, and bone marrow ocedema.”
The pace bowler has been taking anti-inflammatory injections as a short-term treatment, but didn’t respond well to the injection taken on September 5. “He has reported an increasing amount of pain while bowling and running over the last couple of weeks,” explained Mount. “While previously the issue has been manageable, this latest episode has not allowed him to bowl/run at his required intensity.
“This issue has been discussed with the player, chairman of selectors, coach, captain and team manager. We all agree that the main aim should be to give Malinga the best chance of being fully fit for the World Cup in February next year.”
Mount further explained that if the surgery is successful, Malinga would be able to return to bowling at full intensity in 16 weeks and it was imperative that he be assessed as soon as possible.
Malinga is no stranger to injury and has been down the rehabilitation road once before. A long-standing degenerative condition in his right knee forced him to retire from Test matches in April 2011. Malinga’s surgeon and the team physiotherapist informed him that his condition would deteriorate if he was bowling or fielding for an extended duration so in order to prolong his career, he gave up the longer format.
Sri Lanka became the World T20 champions under Malinga’s captaincy earlier this year, but last won the 50-over World Cup in 1996. The team, however, did come close to replicating that feat in the last two editions, but finished as runners-up in 2007 and 2011.
http://www.wisdenindia.com/cricket-news/surgery-malinga-world-cup/127434
Played for Windies today in all important final 
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