Injured middle-order batsman Mahela Jayawardene has been ruled out of Sri Lanka’s last two matches against Pakistan and returned home, team manager Anura Tennekoon said on Tuesday. The 34-year-old batsman hit a half century in his team’s 26-run defeat in the fourth match in Sharjah on Sunday, but played in some discomfort after injuring his knee. Tennekoon said Jayawardene has returned home to regain fitness ahead of next month’s tour of South Africa. “After Sunday’s game Mahela’s injury got worse so he has returned home,” Tennekoon told AFP. “Chamara Silva was brought in as cover.” Pakistan has an unassailable 3-1 lead in the one-day series with the fifth and final match to be played on Wednesday.
