da 888： Two days after the apparent decision that he should end hisSri Lankan tour because of a minor hernia problem, Reon Kingcould well end up in the XI for the second Test startingtomorrow
Tony Cozier20-Nov-2001Two days after the apparent decision that he should end hisSri Lankan tour because of a minor hernia problem, Reon Kingcould well end up in the XI for the second Test startingtomorrow.King had a full workout at the team’s net practice yesterdayat the Asgiriya Stadium, the venue for the Test that iswithin the grounds of Trinity College, and reported nodiscomfort.In the meanwhile, Merv Dillon, now the spearhead of theattack, developed a boil under his right arm and did notbowl in the nets.Manager Ricky Skerritt said Dillon had been treated withprescribed antibiotics and should be ready come tomorrowmorning. But King’s presence would be reassuring.Skerritt said chief selector Mike Findlay had been in touchwith the tour selectors on King’s position and, while it hadbeen determined Sunday after a meeting with King that heshould return home, revealed that the decision process wasnot yet complete.King was examined by a specialist here who passed him fitenough to play through the tour but reported he wouldrequire eventually surgery on the hernia.Given such medical confidence, the decision to despatch himback to the Caribbean, even before his as yet unnamedreplacement arrives, seemed unnecessarily hasty.King has the experience of 14 Tests behind him, more thanall the other fast bowlers except Dillon (16).In spite of a foot injury that put him out of action forthree months last year that seemed to also affect hisconfidence, he is capable of pace and movement, in the airand off the seam.Skerritt reported that key batsman Brian Lara was fit andraring to go.He spent an accumulated eight hours scoring 178 and 40 andanother 15 1/2 hours in the field in Galle. Lara took painkilling tablets twice during his second innings but themanager said there had been no after-effects on the righthamstring that has bothered him since June 2000.It is certain that three fast bowlers will play on a pitchthat yesterday had the greenish tinge that delights thosedealing in pace. It should make a welcome change from thedry, bare, flat surface on which Sri Lanka amassed 590 fornine declared in the first Test.Left-arm spinner Neil McGarrell will make way to accommodatethe more traditional West Indian bowling balance in what islikely to be the only change in the XI.Marlon Samuels was distinctly uncomfortable against the offspinner of Muttiah Muralitharan in Galle but so were most ofthe others.The only realistic batting option would be left-handerWavell Hinds but he has not been in the middle since he hadhis nose broken in the Melbourne Festival match the weekendbefore the team left for Sri Lanka.Sri Lanka have a poor record in Kandy, ironicallyMuralitheran’s home town. They have been beaten in theirlast three Tests here, by South Africa, Pakistan andEngland, and an aversion has developed among the cricketpublic, if not the cricketers themselves.