Sri Lanka Cricket Chairman of Selectors Kapila Vijeygunawardena says the selection committee is working towards building a settled squad for the next World Cup, while defending several recent changes involving captaincy, senior players and emerging cricketers.
Addressing a media briefing on selections, Vijeygunawardena said Charith Asalanka was appointed vice-captain for the England white-ball tour after returning to both ODI and T20I squads, citing his seniority and previous captaincy experience.
He said Kamindu Mendis losing the vice-captaincy was not due to a performance or disciplinary issue.
“Removal of the vice-captaincy has no relevance in picking the captain,” Vijeygunawardena said.
He added that the selectors wanted Kamindu, regarded as one of Sri Lanka’s key batters, to have greater freedom to concentrate on his batting despite appointing him as Vice Captain for all formats just 3 months ago.
On Sri Lanka’s Test leadership following recent disappointing results, Vijeygunawardena acknowledged the team had not performed to expectations but said it was premature to speculate on whether there would be a change of captain.
He said the matter would be discussed when the next Test squad is selected.
The selectors also explained that Regular Captoan Kusal Mendis had originally been selected for the England tour subject to fitness. Vijeygunawardena said this condition had been clearly communicated when the squad was submitted for ministerial approval, but was omitted when the team was subsequently announced to the media.
The committee has now introduced a policy requiring players returning from injury to prove their fitness in a domestic match before being cleared for international selection.
Vijeygunawardena said the change followed Sri Lanka’s experience during the West Indies tour, when fast bowler Lahiru Kumara returned without playing a domestic match and suffered another injury during a Test.
He said players would now have to establish match fitness before returning.
On the ODI squad, Vijeygunawardena said Dasun Shanaka was being considered as a possible No. 7 batting all-rounder as Sri Lanka searches for a player capable of strengthening the balance of the side ahead of the World Cup in South Africa.
That requirement was also one of the factors behind Milan Rathnayake being left out of the ODI squad, although Vijeygunawardena stressed that Rathnayake remained firmly in Sri Lanka’s plans.
Asked why Sri Lanka had included four spinners in the ODI squad for England while leaving out Rathnayake, a fast-bowling all-rounder, Vijeygunawardena said the selection was made after considering the prevailing weather and expected playing conditions.
He said England was experiencing unusually dry and warm conditions at this time of the year and that the selectors expected the pitches to offer assistance to spin. He added that Sri Lanka already had four fast bowlers in the squad and believed the overall bowling attack was balanced.
The selectors said Sri Lanka also continued to have a significant shortage of genuine all-rounders.
Vijeygunawardena described a genuine all-rounder as a player capable of making substantial contributions with both bat and ball, saying such a player was important to the overall balance of the team.
Meanwhile, experienced players including Niroshan Dickwella and Chamika Karunaratne have been considered for the Asian Games squad based on their experience and ability.
Vijeygunawardena said the selectors could not provide guarantees over individual performances but were selecting players according to the requirements of each squad.
He also confirmed that Sahan Arachchige, and not Dickwella, would captain Sri Lanka at the Asian Games.
Several young players who have performed strongly in domestic cricket and the Lanka Premier League remain under consideration, according to the selection chief.
Vijeygunawardena said vacancies in the national team were limited and selectors could not accommodate every player performing well at the same time.
He said players including Sonal Dinusha were being carefully managed, with the selectors keen not to rush cricketers from one format into another merely on the strength of performances elsewhere.
“Sonal Dinusha is a player whose value cannot be overstated,” he said, adding that the selectors believed he had the potential to represent Sri Lanka in all three formats.
Vijeygunawardena also defended the non-selection of some leading domestic performers, saying selectors had to consider team balance and the specific roles required rather than statistics alone.
Asked about Akila Dananjaya’s absence from the recent Test squad despite taking wickets in domestic cricket, he said the selectors preferred an off-spinner who could also strengthen the lower-order batting.
On Sri Lanka’s wider World Cup planning, Vijeygunawardena said the committee hoped to develop a clearer picture of its preferred squad over the upcoming tours of England, Pakistan and New Zealand.
“Planning is key,” he said. “We are planning to succeed, we are not planning to fail.”
He said injuries and player workloads could still force changes, but the objective was to establish the core group that Sri Lanka intends to develop for the World Cup. (Newswire)