- SL ODI squad for Zimbabwe series announced
The newly appointed Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Selection Committee held its maiden media briefing on Wednesday (3) at the Maitland Crescent SLC Headquarters.
It was meant to be the press conference to announce the Sri Lanka squad for the upcoming ODI series against Zimbabwe at home. However, the brief presser turned out to reveal some important decisions which might set the course of the nation’s cricketing future.
Starting off the presser, newly appointed Chairman of the Selection Committee, former Sri Lanka opener Upul Tharanga said that the Lankan team in the recent past lacked overall consistency in performance throughout the last few tournaments.
The biggest breaking news-like revelation was the announcement of Dhananjaya de Silva (DDS) as the captain and Kusal Mendis as vice-captain for the one-off test against Afghanistan in February this year at home. Previously there were rumours that de Silva is tipped to be the next test skipper. After yesterday’s confirmation by the Chairman of the Selection Committee, Dhananjaya de Silva will become the 18th Test cricket captain of Sri Lanka since gaining Test status in 1982, when Bandula Warnapura led the first official game against the visiting English side at the P. Sara Oval.
Speaking to a packed house of media, Upul Tharanga pointed out the fact that irrespective of age barriers, some veteran players will also be considered to be included in the national outfit if they are in-form and fit to play, hence creating opportunities for the young guns to learn, to experience, and play hand in hand with the wealth of knowledge shared by the seasoned campaigners. He also noted that the committee intends to position the players in their strongest roles in the team XI.
Here are some key questions raised by fellow media personnel from Upul Tharanga at the presser:
In terms of captaincy (ODI), why Kusal Mendis? And is discipline overlooked when appointing a captain?
Well, what we have now is a new circle, so all of us decided to give Kusal the captaincy. In terms of discipline, yes, it is of paramount importance; that is the ultimate area of a skipper. Kusal’s recent fracas at the Bloomfield Grounds while playing for his club SSC is currently under investigation by the Singhalese Sports Club (SSC) committee and we will hear further developments soon. Yet again I agree, the behaviour and discipline of a leader play a vital part.
Will there be any favouritism by the selection committee towards some of your contemporaries?
Absolutely not. We are here to restructure the sport and to bring back the glory days. Player selection will be based on merit and performance. We will not tolerate any favouritism.
Why have three different captains been appointed for the three formats?
Honestly, I personally prefer one captain for all three formats of the game. However, after continuous discussions with all stakeholders, we came to a decision to appoint three different captains. We hope it will bear fruitful results.
Members of the SLC Selection Committee, Indika De Saram, Ajantha Mendis, Tharanga Paranavitana, Dilruwan Perera, and its Chairman Upul Tharanga attended the press briefing.