Moises Henriques and Rory Burns are ‘in decent shape’ after both underwent surgery overnight following a collision on the outfield during their T20 Blast match against Sussex on Sunday.
Surrey’s director of cricket, Alec Stewart, added that Burns is set to leave hospital later on Monday, while Henriques is to be kept in until Tuesday ‘but is bearing up well’ after the pair crashed into each other at speed while both going for a steepling catch.
Henriques was struck by his team-mate before both fell face down, with medical staff from each club quickly out on vto the pitch and soon joined by an off-duty doctor who had been watching the match, which was eventually abandoned.
Surrey later also confirmed Monday’s County Championship game against Glamorgan at Guildford will go ahead as normal, the fixture having been in some doubt given the circumstances.
Henriques underwent dental surgery after suffering a broken jaw. – AP
SANGAKKARA ENTERS FINAL STRETCH
Kumar Sangakkara will get a chance to build on his prolific Test record before retirement when familiar foes Sri Lanka and Pakistan contest their fourth series in two years from Wednesday.
The 37-year-old has not responded to media speculation that he will play three more home Tests – two of the three matches against Pakistan and one against India in August – before ending his 15-year-career.
In Sri Lanka’s previous Test, against New Zealand in Wellington in January, Sangakkara hammered 203 to continue a prolific streak that saw him make 221 against Pakistan and 319 against Bangladesh last year.
Sangakkara, who has already quit one-day and Twenty20 cricket, will meet Sri Lanka Cricket officials this week to decide how many more Tests he will play in the home season.
Pakistan and Sri Lanka have already played six series in as many years, the last of which also took place on the island a year ago. The hosts won both Tests, leaving Pakistan without a win in Sri Lanka since 2006. – AFP
SMITH MAKES HISTORY
Australia’s Steven Smith has become the second youngest batsman after Sachin Tendulkar of India to achieve the number-one ranking in the ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen after stellar batting displays in the Kingston Test, which Australia won by 277 runs to win the series 2-0.
Despite missing out on what would have been his first double century in his 28th Test, Smith has leapfrogged Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka and South Africa duo of AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla following scores of 199 and 54 not out in the latest rankings, which were released on Monday morning.
However, Sangakkara will have a chance to reclaim his No 1 ranking when he features in the series against Pakistan, which starts in Galle on Wednesday.
It has been a meteoric rise for Smith who, at 26 years and 12 days, is only a few months short of Tendulkar, who had topped the batting chart for the first time in 1999 at the age of 25 years and 279 days. – ICC
