Sri Lanka's new chairman of selectors believes that experience will be the key to success in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, suggesting an imminent shift away from the youth focused selection policy pursued in recent years.
The new policy follows the resignation of former Sri Lanka captain Michael Tissera as chairman after a disagreement with the Sports Minister, just days before Sri Lanka's first Test against England, which was quickly followed by the resignation of two other selectors, Don Anarusiri and Mahesh Goonatilleke.
The Sports Minister Johnston Fernando accepted the three members resignations and appointed Guy De Alwis as head of a new three-man committee. He is joined by Sinhalese Sports Club ground manager, television commentator and former Sri Lanka cricketer Ranil Abeynaike and Roger Wijesuriya, the only member to remain from the previous panel.
De Alwis's comments suggest that veterans Aravinda de Silva, 36, and Hashan Tillakaratne, 34, could force their way back into the one-day squad, as could discarded all-rounder Chandika Hathurusingha, 33, who has been in outstanding form in domestic cricket in recent times.
"Today the game has become so competitive," says de Alwis, "and I wonder whether the youngsters at times can cope up with the pressure of international cricket. I personally don't think going for youth is the key to success in the World Cup. Experience will be vital."
As has been the case with previous committees, World Cup success is the overriding priority of the new committee: "Our main target is to win the World Cup in South Africa. We want to have a balanced side. We will talk to the captain and the coach and will work out these matters."
De Alwis, a former wicket-keeper batsman who represented Sri Lanka in the 1980s, reveals that he is looking forward to speaking to the experienced cricketers who have been overlooked in recent past.
He also sounded a warning to the players, demanding a consistently high level of performance: "Players must realise that they have to perform constantly at the top level. My committee is not keen on past merits and records. We will look at the performance."
If that means that hard decisions have to be made then so be it: "Some will be definitely unhappy with us, but I have been called to do a job that I will do even if the stakes are high."
He is not yet ready to unveil the extent of the proposed changes: "I can't be specific at the moment as it would not be fair to discuss these without speaking first to the captain and the team management."
© CricInfo
| Teams | England, South Africa, Sri Lanka. |
| Players/Umpires | Aravinda De Silva, Hashan Tillakaratne, Chandika Hathurusingha. |
| Tournaments | ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 in South Africa |
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