Chris Tremlett to miss Sri Lanka Tests with back injury

Tremlett has taken 49 wickets in 11 Tests for England

Chris Tremlett will miss England's two-Test series in Sri Lanka after scans showed a bulging disc in his back.

The 30-year-old hopes to return to action in the latter half of April, forcing him out of the Sri Lanka tour which starts on March 26.

"May require a little clean up. Hopefully back playing mid to end of April," he tweeted of his injury.

Spinner Monty Panesar was promoted to the side after Tremlett was forced out of the second Test against Pakistan.

Although Panesar took seven wickets in the match, a dismal second innings display from England's batsmen ensured they slipped to a series defeat in Abu Dhabi.

Tremlett toiled to figures of 0-53 in the first innings of a 10-wicket defeat in the team's first meeting in the Middle East.

The Surrey paceman had spent five months on the sidelines with a similar injury before returning for the match.

England have already lost fellow seamer Tim Bresnan, who was ruled out of the Test series with an elbow problem.

England's next five-day match after they return from Sri Lanka is a Test against the West Indies at Lord's on 17 May.

Tremlett made his Test debut against India in 2007 but a combination of injuries and loss of form meant he had to wait more than three years before adding to his three caps.

The Surrey man was included in the squad for the 2010-11 Ashes tour and, after Stuart Broad had to return home with a side injury, was included in the team for the third Test in Perth.

He took eight wickets in a losing effort before contributing a total of nine wickets in wins in Melbourne and Sydney, including bowling Michael Beer in the final Test to seal England's first series win down under for 24 years.

Further success followed with 15 wickets in the three-Test series against Sri Lanka in England, but Tremlett missed all but the first match of England's 4-0 win over India that followed.

His exit from the Pakistan series gave a chance to Panesar, who had not played a Test since his batting rearguard in the first Ashes Test of 2009 in Cardiff.

The Sussex left-armer, who had taken 126 wickets in 39 Tests, had missed 29 consecutive Test matches before being recalled.