Sri Lanka Cricket’s Chief Selector Asantha De Mel optimistically believes that the upcoming SLC Provincial Limited Overs Tournament will fill up the remaining vacant spots in the Sri Lanka World Cup squad.
“Despite our poor performances in the limited-overs leg in South Africa, we have already decided upon 10-11 players, who will make the final squad for the World Cup. This Provincial tournament will definitely help us in finalising the remainder of the squad. “ De Mel exclusively said to ThePapare.com on Monday.
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Sri Lanka has struggled heavily in terms of batting, as they have not been able to face any of the wrist-spinners well in the past. Most of the other countries will field at least one wrist spinner in their ranks, whereas the Sri Lankan batsmen have continuously failed to build partnerships in the middle order.
“We need the experience of Angelo Mathews in the middle. He is the sort of batsmen, who can hold the innings at number five. He is 100% fit now and will surely be a key component in our middle order. We hope the other experienced players will also come good during these Provincial matches.” De Mel stated. “During pressure times, only the experience comes into play. Our youngsters don’t understand how to handle the pressure, they must know how to build an innings and build long innings’. “
Ahead of the all-important Provincial Tournament, two of the World Cup hopefuls, Asela Gunaratne and Dasun Shanaka have been ruled out of the World Cup contention as well as the four-team List ‘A’ domestic competition due to injuries. Gunaratne got injured while fielding during a Dhaka Premier League match in Bangladesh, while Shanaka strained his hamstring at training in Colombo.
“These two players could have made a comeback if they performed well in the Provincial games, but now that they are out of the Provincial tournament, we don’t think they will be a part of the World Cup squad.” De Mel further said.
Some of the fringe players like Jefferey Vandersay, Oshada Fernando and Isuru Udana, due to their commendable performances in South Africa have already made a strong claim to be in the World Cup squad.
Some of the top ODI performers in the recent past, Danushka Gunathilaka and Angelo Mathews are all set to return from their respective injuries and prove their fitness and form during the Provincial tournament, while don’t be surprised if axed Dinesh Chandimal makes a comeback into the ODI fray to bat in the middle order and keep wickets, after continuous failures of Niroshan Dickwella in South Africa.
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The final 15-member World Cup squad along with the reserves are set to be finalized on or before the 15th of April. Then, the team will take part in a week-long training camp in Dambulla from 16th to 23rd April. ICC’s final cut-off date to announce the respective World Cup squads will be 23rd April.
“The pitches in Dambulla are most certainly set to be flat, true to its bounce and high-scoring during the Provincial Tournament which will be the case in the UK as well. As we have seen in the past, ICC prepares surfaces to suit run-making, at least a minimum of 250-280. So, we believe the training camp in Dambulla will be ideal for our team.” Sri Lanka Cricket Vice-President Ravin Wickramaratne told the media at the Provincial Tournament Press Conference on Monday.
