Neck injury forces Australia's Lynn out of T20 series

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - A persistent neck injury has ruled aggressive Australia batsman Chris Lynn out of the Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka later this month, Cricket Australia said on Thursday.

Lynn has been battling with a bulging disc in his neck for some time and using medication to manage the pain. The injury forced him out of Australia's one-day squad for their matches against Pakistan last month.

"Chris resumed some light training as part of his rehabilitation but was still unable to function at the level he needs to play international cricket due to his existing neck injury," team physiotherapist Kevin Sims said in a statement.

"Chris will be seeing a specialist later this week and from there we will have a better understanding of the ongoing management, along with the return to play timeframes."

Ben Dunk has been brought into the side for the matches that start on Feb. 17 in Melbourne.

"It's unfortunate that Chris is not fit to participate in this series, but we are excited at the prospects Ben will bring to the squad," interim chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns said.

"Ben was the highest run scorer for the Big Bash, amassing a total of 364 runs in just 222 balls faced and currently sits on an average of 52."

(Reporting by Greg Stutchbury in Napier, New Zealand; Editing by Sudipto Ganguly)