Colombo: Sri Lanka’s prolific spinner Muttiah Muralidharan was on Thursday ruled out of the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 Championships due to an elbow injury.

“Murali is affected by an elbow injury and he will be out for four to six weeks,” Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) secretary Kangadaran Mathivanan said.

“He is definitely out of the Twenty20 tournament.”

Leg-spinner Malinga Bandara is expected to replace Muralidharan in the tournament to be held in South Africa from September 11-24.

The SLC sources said Muralidharan complained of muscle pain between his right elbow and shoulder after bowling 30 overs in a English county match for Lancashire against Kent on Wednesday.

Muralidharan later consulted Sri Lankan team doctors in Colombo over the telephone and was advised to rest, sources said. (AFP)