The national cricket selectors belong to the third breed. They needed something like the disaster in South Africa to bring about some radical changes to the national team. How much of warnings that were given to them through the media prior to the selection of the team to South Africa fell on deaf ears when they picked a side with the old guard. The excuses given for chosing such a squad was that the tough conditions in South Africa required men of experience and that it was not a place to infuse new blood.
Everyone knows how well the experience served in South Africa. The selectors have got wiser and it is with great relish that one should congratulate them for taking such a bold step in naming a 20 member pool to prepare for the tour here by New Zealand.
Now that the move has been made, the selection committee whose performances over the past year will come up for review shortly (nominations for the national selection committee close today at 12 noon), need to be retained to continue with what they have begun. There is a possibility that it may be pruned down from its present strength of seven members to five.
With one of the selectors automatically coming into the selection committee by his election as secretry of the Cricket Board, the snipping down process will not be a difficult one.
The omission of batsman Hashan Tillekeratne is not suprising. Neither is the exclusion of fast bowlers Sajeeva de Silva and Ravindra Pushpakumara, who we understand bowled rather poorly in South Africa. Injuries to two other fast bowlers Chaminda Vaas and Nuwan Zoysa have forced them to be overlooked. Leg-spinner Upul Chandana who has been around for quite some time also finds no place in the pool.
Batsman Roshan Mahanama and all-rounder Kumara Dharmasena could consider themselves lucky to be retained in the squad despite average performances.
For too long, the selectors have relied on experience to carry them through. However, the South African debacle was the last straw. Losing to New Zealand does not matter, as long as there are positive moves towards building a team for the future. That should be the bottom line to this whole exercise.