Cricket

Mark Taylor, Australia's Test captain, has pulled out of his country's trip to Sri Lanka this month to undergo surgery on a back injury. Taylor aggravated his back condition during a recent pre-season training session and will enter hospital next week. Ian Healy, the wicketkeeper and vice- captain, is expected to take over from Taylor for the limited-overs tournament involving the hosts, Sri Lanka, plus India and Zimbabwe. Australia have yet to commit themselves formally to playing in the tournament after expressing concerns about the safety of their players in Sri Lanka.

SRI LANKA SQUAD (Singer limited overs four-team series, Sri Lanka, from 24 August to 7 September): A Ranatunga (capt), A de Silva, R Mahanama, A Gurusinha, H Tillekeratne, S Jayasuriya, R Kaluwitharana, C Vaas, P Wickremasinghe, K Dharmasena, M Muralitharan, U Chandana, M Atapattu, R Pushpakumara.