Jayasuriya was in considerable pain after suffering the injury

Jayasuriya also split the webbing between his right thumb and forefinger when he took a catch to dismiss Imran Farhat during the second day's play.

"He will probably be out for four to five weeks" said physio Tommy Simsek.

The match in Kandy was Jayasuriya's 100th Test and he had announced before the start that it would be his last.

His hopes of going out with a big score were dashed on the opening day when he was bowled by Mohammad Asif for 14.

And the injury meant there was little prospect of a second chance.

"There was no fracture but Sanath dislocated his thumb and spilt the skin right on the joint.

"The joint is now back in place and they are stitching up the wound but it is very, very unlikely that he will play any further part in this Test match," Simsek added.

Jayasuriya has been dogged by injury problems in recent months, twice dislocating his right shoulder and then suffering a thigh strain.

He now faces the task of trying to regain full fitness for this summer's tour to England, where he hopes to play in the one-day series.

Although Jayasuriya is retiring from Test cricket, he hopes to continue playing the shorter form of the game with a view to winning a place in the team for next year's World Cup in the West Indies.

His cavalier batting helped Sri Lanka win the trophy in 1996 and earned him the Player of the Tournament award.

Last year he became only the fourth batsman to pass 10,000 runs in limited-overs internationals.