Sri Lanka's national cricketers have been asked to take a vacation from the game. Coach Dav Whatmore has recommended that they be rested from all cricket to enable them to recharge their batteries following a lengthy season of international matches.
Whatmore has made the order in conjunction with physio Alex Kountouri, and it has received the full recommendation of the Cricket Board's interim committee.
"Apart from recharging their batteries, the break will also give the players the chance to reflect on the international programme that lies ahead of them," Whatmore said.
"We have identified the effect of the physical workloads the players will be subjected to in the future and are trying to regulate the workload.
"We just finished a successful season of international cricket, but at a cost. There have been signs of wear and tear in some players, and some are on the verge of breaking down," he said.
The players will miss two weekends of cricket from tomorrow, but will be free to represent their clubs thereafter with the exception of three players. Fast bowlers Chaminda Vaas, Nuwan Zoysa and Buddhika Fernando will play only three matches at the most.
Whatmore said training for the on-coming international season begins on Monday and he wanted the players to be away from competitive cricket for at least two weekends.
The international schedule Sri Lanka face is a tough one. They will be subjected to 14 months of intense cricket starting with the one-day tournament in Sharjah in April and followed by three Tests and the one-day triangular in England, two Tests and three one-day internationals at home against Bangladesh, the ICC knockout tournament probably in Sri Lanka, a vist to Sharjah again, two Tests and one-day triangular in South Africa, a one-day triangular in Australia and the World Cup in South Africa in February-March 2003.
Those most hit by the absence of the national cricketers are the clubs preparing for the Premier trophy Super League and Plate Championships which commences on Friday.
"My sympathies are with the clubs for not being able to play their national cricketers," Whatmore said. "I fully understand the club-player relationship and what a player who has been nurtured by the club to reach national status means to them. But the magnitude of the situation is such that it cannot be avoided."
Whatmore added that if the players are to be kept sharp and in shape to undertake the tours that lie ahead with some degree of success, the break from cricket was essential.
The players have completed a successful six months of non-stop cricket, beginning last July with the Coca Cola one-day triangular, and ending with the Test series against Zimbabwe on January 15. During that period they have played 10 Tests and 17 one-day internationals.
© CricInfo Ltd.
| Teams | Sri Lanka. |
| Players/Umpires | Chaminda Vaas, Nuwan Zoysa, Charitha Buddika. |
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