Sri Lankan fast bowler Lasith Malinga has been ruled out of this season's Indian Premier League because of the lingering knee injury that also sidelined him at the World Twenty20. Malinga, the IPL's highest all-time wicket-taker, has flown back to Sri Lanka from India where he had been with his MumbaiIndians team, but had not played in any of its three matches. "MI's star pacer, Lasith Malinga has been ruled out of IPL 2016 due to a knee injury," the team wrote on its official Twitter handle late Sunday. "Malinga was expected to miss the first few matches of MI's IPL ‘16 campaign but the recovery period is longer than previously expected. "MI will now look for a worthy replacement for Lasith Malinga this season," the team said. Sri Lankan Cricket Sunday warned Malinga against playing in the lucrative Twenty20 league without first getting clearance from the board. Malinga is slated to undergo a fitness assessment Wednesday in Colombo after which "the board will decide what course of action will be taken." The injury casts doubt over his availability for Sri Lanka's tour of England starting next month. Malinga was dropped as Sri Lankan captain on the eve of the World T20 in India in March-April because of injury after presiding over Sri Lanka's dismal showing in the Asia Cup. The 32-year-old has a long history of injury problems and retired from Test cricket in 2010, saying he was unable to withstand the rigor of five-day matches. Nicknamed ‘Slinga Malinga' because of his bowling action, the curly-haired Malinga is an invaluable member of the national team and a key figure for Mumbai. Hyderabad thrashes Mumbai Captain David Warner led from the front with a scintillating unbeaten 90 as Sunrisers Hyderabad thrashed MumbaiIndians by seven wickets to notch up their first win of the IPL-9 season in Hyderabad Monday. Chasing a target of 143, Warner anchored the Sunrisers innings with a masterclass effort after his opening partner Shikhar Dhawan (2) was out in the first over itself as the home side romped home with 15 balls to spare at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. For Mumbai, it was their third loss in four matches. Brief scores: Sunrisers Hyderabad 145 for 3 (Warner 90*; Southee 3-24) beat MumbaiIndians 142 for 6 (Rayudu 54, K Pandya 49*; Sran 3-28). England proposes points system for Sri Lanka series England has attempted a minor shake-up of the largely conventional world of Test cricket by offering to use a points-based system to determine the winner of its home series against Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Secretary Mohan de Silva confirmed receiving the proposals covering the three Tests, five one-dayers and a Twenty20 International set to be played between the teams from May 19 to July 5. "We have received the proposals but we haven't decided yet," De Silva told Reuters by telephone. "We'll discuss it in our next board meeting and announce our decision in a week or two," said the official, declining to elaborate, saying he had not gone though the details yet. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) introduced the points-based scoring for the women's Ashes in 2013, awarding six points for every Test victory, while two points were on offer for a one-day or Twenty20 International victory. For the women's Ashes last year, ECB and Cricket Australia (CA) decided Test wins were worth four points, while a draw earned the teams two each. The points-based system is aimed at injecting more excitement into the tour and add context to matches that otherwise maybe of merely academic interests. The ECB, according to British media, might consider employing it for the subsequent home series against Pakistan and the points-based system has also piqued interest in Australia. — Agencies
