Lanka batting star Dilshan to miss first half of the HRV Cup in New Zealand

Wellington, Dec. 23 (ANI): Sri Lankan batting star Tillekaratne Dilshan will be missing for the first half of the HRV Cup Twenty20 competition.

According to the New Zealand Herald, Dilshan will be out of the first two weeks of the domestic Twenty20 championship for the Northern Districts side.

Northern signed Dilshan in July this year for the HRV Cup competition, which begins in Mount Maunganui on January 2.

But a clash in dates between the Twenty20 Cup, which runs until January 31, and a hastily-arranged tri-series tournament in Bangladesh between the hosts, India and Sri Lanka means Dilshan is now not available for up to five of the Knights' nine round-robin games.

Northern Districts chief executive David Cooper yesterday confirmed Dilshan's arrival had been pushed back from late next week until January 15 at the earliest.

Dilshan was the highest runs scorer at the Twenty20 World Cup in England, averaging 52 runs an innings at a strike rate of 144, and has been in irrepressible form for Sri Lanka in the one-day series in India, with scores of 160, 123 and 41 in the first three matches.

Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka organised the tri-series after the Knights had contracted Dilshan and he would now be paid on a pro-rata basis depending on how many games he plays in New Zealand. (ANI)