Sanath Jayasuriya,
the Sri Lanka chief selector, has outlined the team's need for
fast-bowling allrounders for next year's World Cup in Australia and New
Zealand, if they are to repeat the success they had in the T20 version
in Bangladesh.
"Conditions are different to what we had in Bangladesh and we need to
find good fast bowling all-rounders," Jayasuriya said. "We have about 25
ODIs from now until the World Cup and we need to identify the players
who will make the final squad and give them the maximum exposure in
these matches."
Sri Lanka's preparations for the ODI World Cup kick off with the tour of
Ireland and England in May during which they are scheduled to play
seven ODIs apart from Tests and T20s. They will play another three ODIs
in July when South Africa tour the country.
Sri Lanka are currently on a high, having secured both the Asia Cup as
well as the World T20 in the last couple of months. But Jayasuriya was
saddened that after doing all the leg work to get Paul Farbrace
as the coach, Farbrace turned his back on the team by going back to
England. As a result, Sri Lanka cricket in a bit of a quandary with less
than a week remaining to appoint his successor for the important tour
to England.
"That has been the biggest disappointment for me since I assumed the
post of chief selector one-and-a-half years ago," Jayasuriya said. "We
were doing so well with Farbrace, it is a bitter pill to swallow losing
him to England, a country where we are due to make a tour. He knows all
our strengths and weaknesses and England will certainly be ready for us,
but I am sure our coaches with the help of the senior players will be
able to counter that successfully."
Since Jayasuriya took over as chief selector he has gradually changed
the pattern of the selectors who are no longer left idle, but are given
the task of watching matches from school (under-19) through to national
level.
"We had to change the whole concept of what the past selection
committees had been doing and the results are showing," Jayasuriya said.
"I have this habit of keeping fit since my playing days and I train
with the national team. This way I have built a good rapport with the
players as well as the coaches and I know exactly what they require and
what needs to be done."
Feeds: Sa'adi Thawfeeq
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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