November 14 Thursday 2002
Muralitharan may miss Australia tour

COLOMBO: Ace off-spinner Muthiah Muralitharan has a hernia and could miss Sri Lanka's cricket tour of Australia starting next month, the Sri Lankan cricket board said Wednesday. "We know that he has hernia problem, the issue is how serious it is,'' said Charnika Munasinghe, a spokeswoman for the sport's national governing body said. 

"It has been decided that he will go for more medical tests. When he will undergo surgery will depend on the findings.'' Muralitharan first reported hernia problems during the first Test defeat by South Africa in Johannesburg last week, although Munasinghe said the champion spinner wasn't experiencing much pain and would compete in the 
second Test against South Africa before returning home.