KANDY (Sri Lanka), July 21: Sri Lanka go into the second cricket Test against the West Indies on Friday boosted by the quick recovery of star bowlers Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan from a flu virus. The veteran duo, who struck a rich haul in the six-wicket romp for the hosts in the first Test in Colombo last week, were the latest victims of the virus that gripped the Sri Lankan team.

“Almost half the side had been down with the virus in the past few weeks,” captain Marvan Atapattu revealed after the team’s nets at the Asgiriya stadium here.

“It started with the manager (Michael Tissera) and I too had it before the first Test before some of the others got it.

“Vaas and Muralitharan were the worst affected, but they have recovered well and will be fit to take the field on Friday,” the captain said.

Vaas top scored with 49 and claimed seven wickets to win the Man-of-the- Match award in the first Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo.

Muralitharan marked his return to international cricket after 11 months due to a shoulder injury by bagging six for 36 in the West Indian second innings.

It was the prolific off-spinner’s 45th haul of five or more wickets in an innings and took his career tally to 539 wickets, second only to Australian Shane Warne’s world record mark of 583.

Both bowlers will once again play a key role as Sri Lanka attempt to sweep the short two-Test series against the second-string West Indians — provided the weather holds.

Although Thursday dawned bright, allowing the two teams to finally gain some practice, the forecast is for light seasonal rain on all five days of the Test.

“There is little we can do about the weather, so why worry about it?” said Atapattu. “We just have to go out there and play our best.”

The rivals will finalise their playing elevens on Friday morning after another look at the barren track which Atapattu described as “the usual Kandy wicket that will take turn as the game progresses.”

Left-arm seamer Nuwan Zoysa and leg-spinner Upul Chandana are expected to come into the reckoning for Sri Lanka in place of young all-rounder Gayan Wijekoon and left-arm spinner Rangana Herath.

The West Indies, meanwhile, will once again rely on captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the only experienced player in the weakened squad, to prevent a 2-0 scoreline for the hosts.

The left-hander, whose 87 Tests dwarf the rest of the squad’s 55 matches put together, top scored in both innings of the Colombo Test with 69 and an unbeaten 48.

The tourists are badly hit by the absence of 10 leading players including master batsman Brian Lara due to a sponsorship dispute with their cricket board.

Teams (from):

SRI LANKA: Marvan Atapattu (captain), Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Thilan Samaraweera, Tillekeratne Dilshan, Upul Chandana, Chaminda Vaas, Nuwan Zoysa, Muttiah Muralitharan, Lasith Malinga, Gayan Wijekoon, Russel Arnold, Rangana Herath.