Sri Lanka's captain Marvan Atapattu will miss his team's forthcoming tour of England after failing to recover from a career-threatening back injury.
Mahela Jayawardene has been appointed captain and Kumar Sangakkara vice-captain for the ten-week, three-Test tour starting later this week.
The 35-year-old Atapattu now faces probable surgery in an attempt to resolve a chronic lower back problem that is threatening to force him into retirement.
"We were hoping that the injury would heal naturally with rest but a scan has revealed that there is no improvement and we now have to consider surgery," physiotherapist Tommy Simsek told Reuters.
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Sri Lanka depart for England on Wednesday and begin the tour with a three-day game against a British Universities team at Cambridge from April 24.
The tourists then take on England in the first Test at Lord's starting on May 11, followed by a five-match ODI series between June 17 and July 1.
