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Sri Lanka Test Squad: Seven new faces
Sa'adi Thawfeeq - 6 August 1999

Sri Lanka 'A' team cricketers, batsman Tuwan Dilshan, left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, fast bowler Indika Gallage and wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawardene along with Russel Arnold, Nimesh Perera and Suresh Perera were named in the 16-member squad announced by the national selection committee for the three Test series against Australia starting at Kandy on September 9.

All seven players merited recognition having shown excellent form with both bat and ball on the present tour of England.

Dilshan, a 22-year-old right-hand bat/wicket-keeper from Sebastianites in particular, has been outstanding scoring two centuries on the tour.

The selectors retained veteran cricketers Arjuna Ranatunga and Aravinda de Silva in the Test squad, but there was no place for two other experienced stars Roshan Mahanama and Hashan Tillekeratne who don't figure in the one-day squad either.

Left-arm fast bowler Nuwan Zoysa finds a place in both squads.

Skipper Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene, Marvan Atapattu, Arnold, Nimesh Perera, Muthiah Muralitharan, Suresh Perera, Chaminda Vaas, and Romesh Kaluwitharana, are the other players who figure in both one-day and Test squads.

In picking two squads, chairman of selectors Sidath Wettimuny stated: ``Having two squads will make a broader pool of resources available for selection in the different types of games that we will encounter going forward''.

The selection committee has made full use of the Sri Lanka 'A' team's tour of England by selecting ten of its 15 members for the one-day and Test series at home.

These players are expected to fly home by August 14 to prepare themselves for the two series. They will be replaced in the Sri Lanka 'A' team for the final two matches in England by Singha SC batsman Saman Jayantha and Colts all-rounder Bathiya Perera.

Sri Lanka Squad

Squad of 16 for 3-Test Series v Australia

Sanath Jayasuriya (captain, 30 years, Bloomfield),
Mahela Jayawardene (vice-captain, 22, SSC),
Marvan Atapattu (28, SSC),
Aravinda de Silva (33, NCC),
Russel Arnold (25, NCC),
Arjuna Ranatunga (35, SSC),
Tuwan Dilshan (22, Sebastianites),
Rangana Herath (21, Moors SC),
Nimesh Perera (22, Sebastianites),
Muthiah Muralitharan (27, Tamil Union),
Suresh Perera (21, SSC),
Chaminda Vaas (25, Colts),
Romesh Kaluwitharana (29, Colts),
Nuwan Zoysa (21, SSC),
Indika Gallage (23, CCC),
Prasanna Jayawardene (19, NCC).


Source: The Daily News