SL omit Jayasuriya, Vaas
Sri Lanka left out batsman Sanath Jayasuriya, bowler Chaminda Vaas from their 15-man squad for this year’s World...
COLOMBO:
Sri Lanka left out veteran batsman Sanath Jayasuriya and bowler Chaminda Vaas from their final 15-man squad for this year’s World Cup.
Both players were named in the provisional squad but failed to make the cut, leaving Muttiah Muralitharan as the only remaining member of the triumphant Sri Lanka team from their 1996 victory in the tournament. Kumar Sangakkara will lead Sri Lanka in the tournament being hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh that runs from Febuary 19 to April 2. Mahela Jayawardene will serve as Sangakkara’s deputy.
Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath managed to beat off-spinner Suraj Randiv in one of the few surprises in the final 15 squad where 11 of the players represented Sri Lanka in the three-match one-day series in Australia where they won 2-1. The win gave Sri Lanka their first One-Day International series win in Australia.
Jayasuriya, a parliamentarian, and Vaas were part of the team that won the country’s only World Cup 15 years ago, and had been included in the preliminary squad of 30 announced on December 13. Vaas, 36, last played for Sri Lanka in August 2008 and Jayasuriya, 41, in December 2009.
The veteran players, who have retired from Test cricket but still play in the limited-overs format, had indicated to the selectors that they would have wanted to play in another World Cup before they retired from international cricket.
Sri Lanka Cricket did not give reasons for dropping the two veterans as of yet.
Sri Lanka squad
Kumar Sangakkara (captain), Mahela Jayawardene (vice-captain), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Silva, Chamara Kapugedera, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath
Published in The Express Tribune, January 8th, 2011.
Sri Lanka left out veteran batsman Sanath Jayasuriya and bowler Chaminda Vaas from their final 15-man squad for this year’s World Cup.
Both players were named in the provisional squad but failed to make the cut, leaving Muttiah Muralitharan as the only remaining member of the triumphant Sri Lanka team from their 1996 victory in the tournament. Kumar Sangakkara will lead Sri Lanka in the tournament being hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh that runs from Febuary 19 to April 2. Mahela Jayawardene will serve as Sangakkara’s deputy.
Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath managed to beat off-spinner Suraj Randiv in one of the few surprises in the final 15 squad where 11 of the players represented Sri Lanka in the three-match one-day series in Australia where they won 2-1. The win gave Sri Lanka their first One-Day International series win in Australia.
Jayasuriya, a parliamentarian, and Vaas were part of the team that won the country’s only World Cup 15 years ago, and had been included in the preliminary squad of 30 announced on December 13. Vaas, 36, last played for Sri Lanka in August 2008 and Jayasuriya, 41, in December 2009.
The veteran players, who have retired from Test cricket but still play in the limited-overs format, had indicated to the selectors that they would have wanted to play in another World Cup before they retired from international cricket.
Sri Lanka Cricket did not give reasons for dropping the two veterans as of yet.
Sri Lanka squad
Kumar Sangakkara (captain), Mahela Jayawardene (vice-captain), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Silva, Chamara Kapugedera, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath
Published in The Express Tribune, January 8th, 2011.