Sri Lanka bowler Eranga discharged after heart scare, Morgan against ODI cricket world league

Sri Lanka captain Mathews confident his bowler will recover from double setback, and England counterpart Morgan confident ODI in good condition.

Shaminda Eranga. Eranga Jayawardena / AP Photo

Sri Lanka paceman Shaminda Eranga has been discharged from a Dublin hospital after doctors found nothing abnormal in tests conducted on the fast bowler, his team management said on Monday.

Eranga, 29, was admitted with an elevated heartbeat after feeling discomfort while batting during Sri Lanka’s one-day international win over Ireland on Saturday, and he was placed under observation for more than 24 hours.

Shortly after being admitted, Eranga was dealt a further blow when he was banned from bowling in international matches due to an illegal action.

According to the International Cricket Council (ICC), Eranga will have to remedy his technique before he can compete for Sri Lanka again, but he can continue to bowl in domestic cricket.

“Eranga will have to go back, work with the fast bowling coaches, and come back strong,” captain Angelo Mathews said. “We are very confident he will come through both – his condition as well as his action, so we are very supportive of him and the whole team are behind him.”

Eranga, who made his ODI debut in 2011, has picked up 21 wickets in 19 matches.

Sri Lanka face England in five one-dayers, beginning in Nottingham on Tuesday, before they play a one-off Twenty20 international in Southampton on July 5. England won the preceding three-match Test series 2-0.

Sri Lanka face England in the first of five one-dayers at Nottingham on Tuesday.

Morgan says no need for world league

England one-day international captain Eoin Morgan has played down the need for a new world league in the shorter format of the game, adding that the World Cup and Champions Trophy remain appealing enough to attract audiences.

The ICC is set to discuss a new league of 13 teams at their annual meeting in Edinburgh this month, with the top two finishers playing off in a final in a revamp of the ODI format, according to media reports.

However, Morgan said that the current 50-overs format was exciting for viewers, despite being threatened by the emergence of the Twenty20 cricket.

“I am not sure it needs it [the world league]. Cricket is in a reasonable position at the moment,” said Morgan, who also captains England’s Twenty20 side. “The Champions Trophy next year will highlight that. It is a great tournament whereby something is on every game. The World Cup goes on a lot longer.”

Dublin-born Morgan added that while he was in favour of growing the game in associate nations such as Afghanistan, Ireland and Scotland, scheduling fixtures in an already packed calendar remained a concern.

“It is interesting to see how the ICC get those games in ahead of different series when the schedule is already jam-packed but I am all for growing the sport,” he added.

“The prospect of playing against associate nations more often and giving them as much cricket as possible is a really good way of growing your sport.

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