Lanka set out on cricket odyssey in South Africa

Sri Lanka set out on a cricketing odyssey that ends with the 2003 World Cup when they start a tour of South Africa with a four-day match aga...

Sri Lanka set out on a cricketing odyssey that ends with the 2003 World Cup when they start a tour of South Africa with a four-day match against South Africa A at the De Beers Diamond Oval from Friday.

Sri Lanka, the 1996 World Cup champions, will play two Tests and five One-day Internationals in South Africa. Following the South African tour, they head back to Sri Lanka for a brief break at home and then across the Indian Ocean to Australia to play in a triangular one-day tournament with home side and England.

TEAM

SRI LANKA: Sanath Jayasuriya (captain), Marvan Atapattu, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Russell Arnold, Hashan Tillekaratne, Jehan Mubarak, Hasantha Fernando, Chaminda Vaas, Dilhara Fernando, Sujeewa de Silva, Chamila Gamage, Thilina Thushara, Tharanga Lakshitha, Muttiah Muralitharan, Prasanna Jayawardene.

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Itinerary: Oct 25-28: South Africa A, kimberley; Nov 1-4: Rest of South Africa, Lenasia; Nov 8-12: First Test, Johannesburg; Nov 15-19: Second Test, Centurion; Nov 23: South Africa A, Potchefstroom; Nov 27: First ODI, Johannesburg; Nov 29: Second ODI, Centurion; Dec 1: Third ODI, Benoni; Dec 4: Fourth ODI, Kimberley: Dec 6: Fifth ODI, Bloemfontein.

Their Australian tour ends a week before the teams assemble back in South Africa for the World Cup. The first task for Sanath Jayasuriya’s team will be to prepare for the two Test matches in South Africa. They will have challenging warm-up games, with the South Africa a side containing several players with recent international experience and a host of challengers for promotion to the senior national side.

Then they play a rest of South Africa XI in Lenasia, near Johannesburg, before the first Test starts at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on November 8.

The Lankan selectors opted for six fast bowlers in their 16-man Test squad, leaving star off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan to carry the spin bowling load.

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Some changes were expected to be made for the one-day series. Its the Sri Lankans’ third tour of South Africa in five seasons.

Although they have lost four out of five Test matches played in South Africa, they have a nucleus of players with plenty of experience of conditions here. Jayasuriya and Muralitharan, who will be key men if Sri Lanka are to make a successful challenge, are on their fourth visit to South Africa, having first toured with a Sri Lankan under-24 team ten seasons ago.