Selectors laud Lankan duo

COLOMBO, JULY 9: The painful part of the selection process over, Sri Lanka's selectors on Thursday paid tributes to Arjuna Ranatunga and ...

COLOMBO, JULY 9: The painful part of the selection process over, Sri Lanka8217;s selectors on Thursday paid tributes to Arjuna Ranatunga and Aravinda de Silva who were removed yesterday as captain and vice-captain, and described them as the country8217;s 8220;treasures8221;.

8220;No one else in the country has their kind of experience. They are treasures in many ways,8221; said Sidath Wettimuny, chairman of the selectors, at a press conference here.

There had been a decline in Sri Lanka8217;s performance in the last eight months, but it was Ranatunga and de Silva who had led the team up a 8220;steep incline,8221; he pointed out. 8220;Don8217;t forget that it was they who led the side that won the World Cup in 1996,8221; he said.

He hoped the two would guide and help new incumbents, Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Jayewardene, do the job better.

Wettimuny warned the changes may not bring benefits overnight. 8220;This is a transition period. In the short term, there will be a lot of pain, but we hope this will eventually lead to some gain,8221; hesaid.

Wettimuny said besides Sri Lanka8217;s poor performance, age and 8220;long-term thinking8221; were also factors in the change in captaincy. 8220;Everybody seems to be thinking in terms of four year blocks because of the World Cup, and we are also thinking of the next Cup. Age was definitely a factor, though not the only one,8221; he said. Ranatunga and de Silva are 35 and 33-years-old respectively.

8220;Even if we had won the World Cup, we would have made these changes,8221; Wettimuny said.

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Jayasuriya and Jayewardene have been appointed only for the home series against Australia and the triangular One-day tournament against Australia and India. 8220;We want to be cautious but our hope is that these appointments will be for a longer term,8221; Wettimuny said.

The decision to appoint 22-year-old Jayewardene was taken in order to give enough time to groom him as a future captain, he said.

Wettimuny lauded the two senior cricketers and thanked them for their 8220;yeoman service8221; to Lankan cricket. 8220;Arjuna and Aravinda willalways be remembered as two of the greatest cricketers this country has produced. Their contribution to cricket has been enormous and I am sure they will continue to serve Sri Lanka, on and off the field, in the years to come. Our sincere thanks to both of them,8221; Wettimuny said on behalf of the committee.