Mathews, Chandimal declare fitness for South Africa tour

COLOBMO: Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews and vice-captain Dinesh Chandimal have declared they are fit to go on the tour of South Africa that begins in mid-December.

They made the announcements during SLC’s Dialog Cricketer of the Year award ceremony held here on Wednesday night.

Both Mathews and Chandimal missed Sri Lanka’s recent tour of Zimbabwe, where Rangana Herath and Upul Tharanga led the Test and ODI sides respectively.

Mathews was recovering from multiple leg injuries including a torn calf, while Chandimal had undergone surgery on his right hand after suffering “multiple dislocations around the thumb area” while playing a domestic match.

When he accepted one of his three awards, the host asked Mathews whether he was fit for the South Africa tour. He replied, “Yes, I have recovered from my injury completely and I am fit to tour South Africa.”

The same question was posed to Chandimal when he received his award, and he said, “My recovery process has been really good and I am feeling fit to make the tour to South Africa.”

Mathews won the Cricketer of the Year award for his performances across formats in 2015, and also bagged the All-rounder of the Year award for both Tests and ODIs. Chandimal, meanwhile, was adjudged Test Batsman of the Year.