Belatedly, the newly appointed five-man selection committee will select thenational pool for the forthcoming one-day triangular and Test series againstIndia this week
Charlie Austin16-May-2001<IMG SRC="/perl/picture.cgi/013319/inline?alt=1" align=top border=1hspace=1 vspace=2 width=150 height=124 alt="Charlie Austin"Belatedly, the newly appointed five-man selection committee will select thenational pool for the forthcoming one-day triangular and Test series againstIndia this week. With the Interim Committee declaring that they wantselection to be policy based, we can expect the 2003 World Cup to guidetheir deliberations, but it will be the batting that provides for the mostvexing discussion.In the one-day form of the game the Sri Lankan team has performed admirablyduring the last year, winning two Sharjah tournaments, a triangular againstPakistan and South Africa, a five-match series against New Zealand, and athree-match series against England. The only blot on their copybook has beena premature exit in the ICC KnockOut Trophy and a thorough drumming in SouthAfrica.Nevertheless, doubts remain about the best personnel for the middle orderand the wisdom of Sanath Jayasuriya opening the innings on fast, bouncypitches. For the moment the Jayasuriya conundrum need not beaddressed, especially against India and New Zealand, on the grimly slowwickets of Premadasa, SSC, and Dambulla, but the middle order needsattention.Romesh Kaluwitharana, who has enjoyed a resurgence in form, MarvanAttapattu, Mahela Jayawardene, and Russel Arnold, who may have had a leantrot of late, but still has a fine one-day record, all book their berthswithout too much pained head scratching, but what about the final twoplaces?Kumar Sangakkara has shown enough in his short career to suggest that hewill emerge from his recent infecundity, but questions linger as to whetherTillakaratne Dilshan and Indika de Serem have what it takes to prosper atthe highest level.The failure of Tillakaratne Dilshan, the most obviously talented of the two,to perform consistently in Test and one-day cricket has caused the greatestconcern(Average of 26 in 10 Test Matches and 25 in 14 ODI's). In the warm matches against England he impressed greatly with two regal centuries. He can play every shot in the book and, unlike some in Sri Lanka, possesses the tools to play fast bowling of the highest caliber.By the time of the fateful third day at the Sinhalese Sports Club, however,when Sri Lanka crumbled with such disconcerting alacrity, the Englandplayers no longer feared the free flowing young man from Kalutara. Theythought him a weak-minded player, who, though fearless as a close fielder,was scared of the big stage. He duly obliged with a half-cocked heave ofsuch clumsiness that even Muralitharan the batsman would have feltembarrassed.Indika de Saram – somewhat older, but still mightily talented – has been given fewer opportunities than Dilshan, but is another that has so far looked ill at ease at crease (Average of 23 in four Test Matches and 16 in 15 ODIs). His body language suggests insecurity and his batting is two paced. In Sharjah he either grafted like a studious Gavaskar or blazed like a hopeful punter. He struggled to shift seamlessly through the gears and appeared to panic after periods of low scoring.Like Dilshan, de Saram can claim to have never been given the opportunity of an extended run in the team. Moreover, the demands of one-day cricket, which require the batting to be flexible, has often meant that the pair are shunted up and down the order.Nevertheless, the selectors must decide as to whether the players just need greater exposure or whether pursuing with them will prove as fruitless a task as England's vain attempt to foster consistent runs out of the prodigal Graeme Hick and Mark Ramprakash. It is a difficult decision, which perhaps only the players themselves can really answer.The alternative approach is to start afresh and begin the search forsteelier characters. The problem is that there are no obvious alternatives,a fact that will ultimately ensure that both players have further chances toestablish themselves.There is Avishka Gunawardene, a potential match winner, but a chancy playerso far prone to inconsistency. Chamara Silva can look a class act, but heaveraged only 22 this season for Panadura and failed to score a century.If the selectors seek comfort in statistics then Hemantha Wickramaratne, theconsistent SSC batsmen, who was the highest scorer in the Premier League,notching up five centuries, deserves serious consideration even though hewas overlooked for the A pool. For sheer weight of runs Pradeep Hewage (784runs in 11 matches) could be considered, but he is a solid accumulator, moresuited to Test cricket.Jevantha Kalutunga, 27, on the other hand has scored over 600 runs for ColtsCC this year with a strike rate of 80 runs per 100 balls, which deservedlyearned himself a place in the A squad. Against England though he lookedtroubled by rib high bowling and has a first-class average in the low thirties.If the 2003 World Cup were played next month then Hashan Tillakaratne shouldplay, regardless of the youth policy. He has scored consistently throughout the season, often pulling Nondescripts CC out of the mire. He is sturdy of mind, mature, but still fit and athletic in the field. However ugly his public spat with Sidath Wettimuny may have been, it should not affect the cricketing case for his recall. Unfortunately for Tillakakaratne, 34 years old in July, the World Cup is still over 18-months away and he must pin his hopes on Test cricket.There is one young player, however, that sticks out from the bunch:Muthumudalige Pushpakumara. The 20 year old all rounder, who bowls offbreaks and bats left handed, has already carried the bags on two seniortours, but has only played four first class matches. He did, however,impress with the Under 19 side and against England during their warm-upgames, against whom he scored two half centuries when the chips were down.Primarily a batting all rounder he stands out as a player of substance andstrong self-belief. Technically he is sound, though of course there will still be some rough edges. Why not give him a chance to display his potential at number seven in the one-day team? He will provide useful bowling support and let no one down in the field.Elsewhere there is Jehan Mubarak, a jaunty left-hander, who is clearlytalented though prone to carelessness; Michael Vandort, a late developer,who is built like a coconut palm and has impressed this season for ColomboCricket Club; Dulip Samaraweera, a consistent player, who is part of thelost generation that grew up in the shadow of Sri Lanka's fine battingline-up in the second half of the 1990's.The names will keep flowing, but there are no easy answers. The job aheadfor the selectors is a truly difficult one. Domestic statistics may providea pointer, but they say little about a player's character because of the lowtempo nature of the Premier League. The selectors need to identify strongcharacters and they would be greatly helped by a strong domestic competition.Strangely, the Test squad should prove easier to select, Aravinda de Silva -pending the outcome of Desmond Fernando's report and his eagerness tocontinue – and Hashan Tillakaratne should certainly be in the squad. TheTest team is crying out for experience and the most objective now is to getback to winning ways having not one a Test series for over 14-months.There will be few surprises when the final squad will be announced, for thenucleus of the squad picks itself. Nevertheless the selectors must think shrewdly when they consider the peripheral players, because they could be the ones who offer long term hope.