Aravinda De Silva given hope of England recall by new selectors

Aravinda De Silva given hope of England recall by new selectors
Charlie Austin - 12 January 2002

Star batsman Aravinda de Silva has been given fresh hope of an international recall after a meeting with Sri Lanka's newly appointed selection committee.

The four-man selection committee, appointed on Thursday by the Sports Minister and headed by former Ceylon captain Michael Tissera, made immediate contact with De Silva.

During the meeting the selectors made it clear that the 36-year-old would be considered for selection for Sri Lanka's tour of England starting in April providing that he could prove his fitness to physio Alex Kontouri by 31 March.

De Silva, who fell out of shape and out favour after England's tour of Sri Lanka in March, was also expected to display his commitment by participating fully in the ongoing domestic cricket season for his club Nondescripts CC.

The selectors believe that a fully fit De Silva, scorer of 5952 runs in his 89 Test career, would be an asset to the squad during a difficult early summer tour.

But the panel made it crystal clear that there would be no compromise on his fitness level. If not sufficiently fit for a rigorous tour then he would be overlooked.

In the nine months since he last played, De Silva had refused to retire, maintaining that he still had a role to play in international cricket, but complaining of a breakdown in communication with the old selection committee.

That committee, headed by Tikiri Banda Khelgamuwa, had tired of De Silva and instead recalled veteran left-hander Hashan Tillakaratne into the Test team, who justified their move with a mountain of runs.

Were De Silva to tour then he may still struggle to claim a spot in the final eleven, with the top seven all scoring runs in recent series against India, West Indies and Zimbabwe. On current form, Russel Arnold's place would be under the greatest threat.

Sri Lanka are due to play three Test matches and a one-day tri-series including India during a two and a half month tour of England.

Teams	Sri Lanka.
Players/Umpires	Aravinda De Silva, Michael Tissera, Hashan Tillakaratne, Russel Arnold.