Sri Lanka cricket have issued the following clarification via a media release in relation to news that the board have refused to bear the cost of Kusal Perera’s shoulder surgery.
Excerpts from the media release are as follows:
Sri Lanka Cricket in consultation with the SLC Medical Panel worked out a 12-week Rehabilitation Program for Kusal Janith Perera’s recovery from a long-standing shoulder injury to ensure that the player is ready for selections for the T20I Asia Cup and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022.
Towards meeting this goal, Sri Lanka Cricket advised Kusal Janith Perera to refrain from playing any competitive cricket and undergo the proposed ‘Rehabilitation Program,’ under the supervision of the SLC Medical panel.
However, instead of heeding the advice of the SLC, the player took part in the Lanka Premier League 2021, thus affecting his recovery program.
Even after his participation in the Lanka Premier League 2021, Sri Lanka Cricket’s Medical Panel decided to rehabilitate the player, focusing on the upcoming T20I Asia Cup and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, thus leaving him out of several international tours, which were played during the recent months.
However, despite these efforts, he failed to take part in regular rehabilitation work and his last appearance at the High-Performance Center for rehabilitation was on the 29th April 2022.
Hence, his lack of commitment for a consistent rehabilitation program resulted in Sri Lanka Cricket having to rethink of making a full commitment in this case, as the delay caused by the player, did not fall in line with SLC’s overall program of preparing players for the upcoming T20I Asia Cup and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
However, Sri Lanka Cricket has informed Kusal Janith Perera that despite this situation, a major portion of the cost required for his surgery will be borne by Sri Lanka Cricket.
Earlier in the week, the Sunday Times reported that SLC had refused to foot the full bill for the surgery and asked Perera to bear most of the cost not covered by insurance.
According to the Times, SLC and the player had decided to consult with Dr Andrew Wallace, a consultant orthopedic surgeon specialising in shoulder injuries in the UK, after all attempts to resolve the issue locally failed.
Perera initially injured his shoulder during the limited overs series against India in July last year, but subsequently returned to the side for South Africa’s tour of Sri Lanka, the T20 World Cup in the UAE last November and the 2nd season of the Lanka Premier League. He hasn’t featured for Sri Lanka since the World Cup.
