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Jayasuriya
left out of West Indies ODIs
NEW DELHI—Sanath Jayasuriya and Muttiah Muralitharan have been left out
of Sri Lanka’s 15-man squad for the upcoming ODI series in the West
Indies.
The 37-year-old Jayasuriya retired from Tests last December, and wished
to concentrate on his ODI career. However, he hasn’t had a great run
since the World Cup, with only 305 runs in 20 innings, and there was
speculation that he would be dropped from the side, especially after his
poor performance in the CB Series, where Sri Lanka finished third behind
India and Australia.
Murali, the leading Test wicket-taker, also didn’t have a great time in
Australia, but it is believed that he will be feature only in key ODI
tournaments from now on. Murali will play in the two Tests preceding the
ODI series in which he will be replaced by offspinner Ajantha Mendis,
who with 54 wickets, is the leading wicket-taker in the Premier League
Tournament, Sri Lanka’s domestic first-class competition. Mahela
Udawatte23-year old hard-hitting opener, replaces Jayasuriya. Udawatte
has been touted as a successor to Jayasuriya.
“He [Jayasuriya] did not perform well in Australia,” Ashantha de Mel,
Sri Lanka’s chief selector, told AFP. “We have three years to groom a
team for the 2011 World Cup and younger players must be given a chance.”
Sri Lanka will also be without Lasith Malinga, out with a knee injury,
for both the Tests and ODIs in West Indies. Allrounder Kaushalya
Weeraratne makes a comeback to the Sri Lankan side. His last ODI was in
2003. Uncapped left-arm fast bowler Thilan Thushara, who was picked for
the Tests, also finds a place in the ODI squad.
Chaminda Vaas, Nuwan Kulasekara and Ishara Amerasinghe are the other
fast bowlers in the squad, while Malinga Bandara is the other spinner
alongside Mendis. Besides Weeraratne, Chamara Kapugedera and
Tillakaratne Dilshan are the other all-round options available to
captain Mahela Jayawardene.
Sri Lanka ODI squad: Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Kumar Sangakkara (wk),
Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chaminda Vaas, Chamara Silva, Upul Tharanga,
Chamara Kapugedera, Malinga Bandara, Kaushalya Weeraratne, Nuwan
Kulasekara, Ajantha Mendis, Jehan Mubarak, Ishara Amerasinghe, Mahela
Udawatte, Thilan Thushara.—Agencies |
