Sri Lanka’s first tie in this year’s BNP Paribas sponsored Davis Cup international tennis tournament commenced on Wednesday.
“Harshana Godamanna, Rajeev Rajapakse and Thangarajah Dineshkanthan (all former Davis Cup campaigners) will certainly be in the squad. The final squad is to be named later Tuesday,” de Silva said.
Sri Lanka will meet Pakistan at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA) clay courts in Colombo from February 1 to 3 in their Round-1 tie of the Davis Cup Asia Oceania Zone Group-II this year. Sri Lanka has never beaten Pakistan in five previous meetings at the Davis Cup and needs to win at least one out of her first two ties (Rounds) if she is to remain in the Asia-Oceania Zone’s Group-II for another year.
The most recent of the meeting between the two countries in the Davis Cup saw Pakistan register a 4-1 victory. Pakistan was that time represented by Mohammed Khalid and Mohammad Khaliq Siddiq and the tie was held in Lahore.
Sri Lanka avoided return to Group-III last April when they defeated fancied Hong Kong – China in their Relegation Play-off at the Victoria Park Tennis Centre as Godamanna, who has been leading Sri Lanka’s Davis Cup campaigns in the front for over five years, was involved in all three victorious rubbers for Sri Lanka in a 3-2 victory. The most senior campaigner for Sri Lanka, Rajapakse partnered Godamanna in the Doubles in Hong Kong – China.
This year’s Tournament Manager of the Davis Cup is Dinith Pathiraja and the head of the National Selection Committee is Aasiri Iddamalgoda.
Aisam-ul- Qureshi, Aqeel Khan in Pakistan team –
Meanwhile Pakistan named a strong team, according to a ‘Daily Times’ in Pakistan news report appeared on December 22, 2012.
The Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) selection committee has on December 21 named a 4-member national squad for the tie against Sri Lanka.
Pakistan’s top player Aisam-ul -Haq Qureshi, and Aqeel Khan, who were exempted from the trials, have been selected directly in the team.
The team had been named by chief selector and former Pakistan Davis Cup Captain Khawaja Saeed Hai. The other members of the Pakistan National Tennis Selection Committee are: Arif Qurieshy, Asim Shafiq, Inamul Haq, Ahmad Ejaz, Nadir Mumtaz and Mohammad Nabeel.
“We invited 12 players from all over Pakistan for the trials and selected Yasir Khan and Abid Mushtaq,” the chief selector Hai had been quoted saying in ‘the Daily Times.’ According to Hai, Heera Ashiq will be the stand-by player.
The training camp for the Pakistani team will be held in Islamabad from January 15.
