COLOMBO, June 12: Sri Lanka left-arm spinner Rangana Herath was on Tuesday ruled out of the remainder of the five-match Mobilink Jazz Cup One-day International series against Pakistan because of continuing problems with his knees.

Herath had keyhole surgery on his knees after the home series against England in February and was fit enough to play in the first two ODIs against Pakistan in Pallekele.

The third match of the series will be played on Wednesday here at the R. Premadasa Stadium which will also host the remaining two fixtures of the limited-overs series.

However during Sunday’s second match, which Sri Lanka won by 76 runs to level the series one-all, Herath struggled with his fielding although he bowled his full quota of 10 overs and conceded only 37 runs.

“Bowling was no problem but he was struggling a little bit while fielding,” Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene said on Tuesday. “After speaking to the selectors and the medical guys we felt that it's best that he gets some rest before the Test series because playing three Tests is going to be a long series for him.”

Herath will be replaced by another left-arm spinner, Sajeewa Weerakoon, who will make his ODI debut at the age of 34.

“Sajeewa’s been around for quite some time in our domestic cricket and he's got a lot of experience,” said Jayawardene.

“He's one of those guys who never gives up, a brilliant fighter with lots of experience in local club and league cricket in England, a lot of tours under his belt with the Sri Lanka ‘A’ team. He's a brilliant guy to have in the squad and he deserves his break.”

Meanwhile, Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq said the tourists’ excellent record at the Premadasa Stadium in recent times is due to the fact that conditions at the country’s best cricket ground suits Pakistan better.

Pakistan have an enviable record at this ground having not lost a game at the venue for the last eight years.

Pakistan have won eight of their last nine games at the R. Premadasa Stadium, while the other game ended in a no result, due to inclement weather.

Overall, Pakistan have won 11 of their 18 games at the venue and have lost only six and their victory percentage of 64 percent is the best by an overseas team and is only slightly below Sri Lanka’s 65 percent winning ratio.

“Our record is good at the R. Premadasa Stadium. If you remember, during the World Cup [in 2011], we not only beat Australia, but Sri Lanka as well. Before that when we were here in 2009, we won a few games,” Misbah said.

Asked why Pakistan have had the better of exchanges at the venue, Misbah said: “I feel at the R. Premadasa conditions suit us better. There’s not much seam movement, the wicket is flat and helps spinners.”

While Misbah remained upbeat about his sides’ chances in Colombo, he stressed the need to improve in certain areas, particularly fielding.

“On Saturday, we missed about three run outs as we couldn’t get a direct hit. Fielding is a very important factor when you are playing against top sides,” Misbah noted.

Apart from the run out opportunities in the second match, Pakistan, despite winning the first match on Thursday, put down three chances.

“We were a bit ordinary with the way we fielded and bowled. Full credit to Sri Lanka for the way they batted, especially [Tillakaratne] Dilshan and Mahela. Then they fielded and bowled well and that made the difference in the second game,” Misbah said.

Pakistan missed the services of Mohammad Sami, who bowled with express pace in his comeback series, due to a thumb injury and whether he will play any part in the games in Colombo remains uncertain.

“Let’s see what the doctor has to say. His thumb actually hit the ground while fielding the other day and it’s bruised,” Misbah explained.—Agencies