Sanath Jayasuriya has seen his chances of a Test recall dented after he was omitted from Sri Lanka’s four-day game against English county Sussex starting on Thursday.
The 36-year-old former Sri Lanka captain has made himself available for selection just six weeks after he announced he was quitting Test cricket in order to concentrate on one-day internationals in the build-up to next year’s World Cup in the Caribbean.
He was talked out of Test retirement by new chairperson of selectors Asantha de Mel and arrived in England on Saturday.
Neither captain Mahela Jayawardene nor coach Tom Moody was consulted before the decision was made and they have reacted by overlooking the former World Cup winner for the four-day contest at Hove.
Although De Mel is the convenor of overall selection, the process of picking sides on tour is overseen by Moody, Jayawardene, vice-captain Kumar Sangakkara and team manager Michael Tissera.
While Jayasuriya has not been ruled out of contention for next week’s contest against Andrew Flintoff’s men at Edgbaston, this is the Sri Lankans’ only match action prior to travelling to Birmingham and it is difficult to envisage throwing him straight into a Test.
”We have to continue trying the younger players we have got with us here and we have to give them the opportunity to gain some more exposure and practice before the next Test,” said Tissera.
Jayasuriya has scored 6 613 runs in 102 Tests with 14 centuries. He is also the fourth batsman to have scored 10 000 runs in one-day internationals after India’s Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, and Pakistan’s Inzamam ul-Haq. — AFP
