COLOMBO, JULY 7: Opener Sanath Jayasuriya has been appointed the new captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team replacing Arjuna Ranatunga who was sacked after the country's exit from the 1999 World Cup, officials said today.The 29-year-old Jayasuriya would lead Sri Lanka at next month's One-day triangular series involving India and Australia, they said. Ranatunga, 35, and his deputy Aravinda de Silva, who also faced the sack, will be available for selection in the national squad.The new vice-captain of the Lankan team will be middle-order batsman Mahela Jayawardena. Ranatunga returned home on Monday from England after an extended holiday following Sri Lanka's failure to defend World Cup title following early exit, and asked airport authorities to provide him with added security apprehending attacks from outraged fans.The national selectors are due to formally announce the appointment of the new captain and vice-captain at a press conference tomorrow, officials said.They said their discussions withRanatunga yesterday were ``friendly and cordial''.Jayasuriya is considered Sri Lanka's top batsman despite his poor showing in the World Cup. He has also claimed 150 wickets in One-day internationals. Jayawardene, 22, is a front-line batsman and an occasional slow medium pace bowler.Sri Lanka have won only seven of the last 25 One-day internationals played under Ranatunga's captaincy.The 30-member squad for Australian series: Sanath Jayasuriya (captain), Mahela Jayawardena (vice captain), Arjuna Ranatunga, Aravinda de Silva, Roshan Mahanama, Hashan Tillekeratne, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Chaminda Vaas, Marvan Atapattu, Pramodaya Wickramasinghe, Mutthiah Muralitharan, Upul Chandana, Nuwan Zoysa and Eric Upashanta plus all the 16 members of the Sri Lanka A team, currently touring England.
