Mendis won the ICC Emerging Player award in September

Spin bowler Ajantha Mendis has been ruled out of Sri Lanka's forthcoming Test series in Bangladesh because of an ankle injury.

The 23-year-old, recently named world cricket's Emerging Player of the Year, suffered the injury in a club match.

Mendis will be replaced by Rangana Herath for the two-match series, which starts in Mirpur on 26 December.

But he hopes to play in the triangular one-day series, also involving Zimbabwe, which follows in January.

Mendis was an instant success when he made his Test debut against India earlier this year.

606: DEBATE Give your reaction to this story

He took 26 wickets at a cost of only 18 runs each, breaking former England seam bowler Alec Bedser's 62-year-old record for the most victims in a three-match series.

Sri Lanka have won all 10 previous Test meetings with Bangladesh and, despite Mendis's absence, will be confident of extending that run.

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version