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PACER Kyle Jarvis has been ruled out of the ongoing second Test match against Sri Lanka at Harare Sports Club due to a lower back injury he sustained in the first match. 

An MRI scan revealed that Jarvis had suffered a disc bulge, which hampered his “back movements due to lower back pain, muscle spasms and stiffness”. 

According to a statement from Zimbabwe Cricket, a specialist doctor advised Jarvis to “rest while taking anti-inflammation medication and he will start physiotherapy as soon as the pain has subsided”. 

Jarvis bowled 37 overs in the first innings against Sri Lanka, conceding 84 runs without picking up a wicket. He didn’t bowl in the second innings, with Sri Lanka needing only 14 which they chased down in three overs. 

Seamer Carl Mumba replaced Jarvis, while 29-year-old leg-spinning all-rounder Tinotenda Mutombodzi was handed a Test debut in the place of left-arm spinner Ainsley Ndlovu.

Meanwhile, opening batsman Kevin Kasuza returned to the starting XI after suffering a mild concussion during the first Test last week.

Kasuza, who was fielding at short-leg, was struck on the side of his helmet just before the lunch break on Day 3 of the first Test. – Cricbuzz