To add to their woes vice-captain, top batter and wicket-keeper Dinesh Chandimal won’t be making the tour to Zimbabwe as he has still not fully recovered from a thumb injury which he sustained playing in a Mercantile ‘A’ division match last month. The injury required surgery.

Chandimal’s place is filled by the Sri Lanka Army SC’s uncapped 30-year-old right-hand batting all-rounder Asela Gunaratne who has been amongst the runs in the ongoing unofficial test series against West Indies A.

Chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya stated that he was hopeful that Chandimal would recover in time for the one-day tri-series against Zimbabwe and West Indies that starts at Harare on November 14.

The two Tests against Zimbabwe are scheduled to be played at Harare from October 29-November 2 and November 6-10.

The delay in releasing the squad which was picked over a week ago was due to the fitness concerns surrounding key players especially the fast bowlers..

Eventually the Lankan selectors were left with only Suranga Lakmal as the fast bowler who was fit for selection amongst the experienced lot.

How weak the Lankan pace bowling line-up is can be gauged by the fact that Lakmal although being the most experienced of the five fast bowlers picked for the tour has never produced a five-wicket innings haul in Tests in the six years he has played for his country. In 29 Tests he has 60 wickets at an average which is usually associated with a batsman – 49.40. The selectors have no option but to pick him as the spearhead of the fast bowling attack.

“We have picked the best possible line-up of fast bowlers available to us,” said chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya.

“Kasun Madushanka has been bowling well in the ongoing series against West Indies A and Lahiru Gamage is the most experienced Sri Lanka A bowler we have. We picked Lahiru Kumara (Sri Lanka under 19 bowler) because he is good potential for the future,” he said.

All three fast bowlers are uncapped along with Gunaratne. Adding to the woes of the long list of fast bowling injuries are two young fast bowlers Asitha Fernando (hamstring) and Vishwa Fernando (back injury).

Sri Lanka are already beset by injuries to key fast bowlers Dhammika Prasad (shoulder), Nuwan Pradeep (hamstring), Dushmantha Chameera (back stress fracture) and one-day specialist Lasith Malinga (knee). They have also lost the services of Shaminda Eranga reported for a suspect bowling action.

In the absence of Chandimal, Jayasuriya said that Niroshan Dickwella who has been picked in the squad would most probably be taking over the wicket-keeping gloves although there is also Kusal Perera who has kept wickets for Sri Lanka in Tests.

Dimuth Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva are the two established openers, but Perera can also play the dual-purpose role of opener or late order batsman. The Lankan batting seems settled with the exception of Chandimal whose absence will put extra pressure on the rest of the batters to perform.

The spin department is once again headed by the experienced and most capped current Sri Lanka Test player left-armer Rangana Herath who will be supported by off-spinner Dilruwan Perera and left-arm chinaman Lakshan Sandakan.

That Australia face the prospect of such a humiliation when they are the current Test champions is borne by the fact that their batsmen have found to be vulnerable against some high quality spin bowling by Sri Lanka’s three-pronged line-up which sees them trailing 0-2 in the three-match series.

Led by veteran spinner Rangana Herath and comprising Dilruwan Perera and newcomer Lakshan Sandakan they have been so dominant in the series to capture 35 of the 40 Australian wickets to fall. Coming to the SSC, Australia’s woes won’t end there

That Sri Lanka has sought the assistance and expertise of the chief curator at Pallekele, Asitha Wijesinghe in the preparation of pitches for all three Tests including SSC means only one thing – that the SSC pitch which traditionally assists fast bowlers and batsmen will be turned into a track that will spin from the first day as has been the case at Pallekele and Galle.

Australian captain Steven Smith in conversation with his vice-captain David Warner as they prepare for the third and final Test at the SSC grounds.

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews described the SSC track being prepared for today’s third Test as a ‘turner’.

“SSC traditionally has been good for batting, but since of late it has helped spin bowling a lot. It will turn from day one and it will be a spinners’ paradise once again,” said Mathews.

Which means the Aussies won’t have any respite going into the third and final Test. They will once again face a trial by spin and if by now they have not found a way to tackle the spin of the Lankan bowlers, the Test is guaranteed to follow in the same trend as the first two.

“You don’t get these opportunities very easily. We know that. We have played really well in the first two games and we don’t want to give up this game,” said Mathews.

“We have put in lot of hard work ahead of this series and at the moment the mood and confidence is very good. We are excited. Everyone is geared up and we have not taken the foot off the gas. Hopefully we can go out there and beat the Aussies again. If we can do that it’s great.”

Seldom do countries want to make a change to their teams when they are winning. In that aspect openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva could consider themselves lucky to be retained for today’s Test despite a spate of low scores in the series which has seen neither of them getting into double figures in any of their four innings. Their highest score is seven.

“What the management and selectors think is that we can give opportunities to players whom we believe can deliver,” said Mathews. “Kaushal when it was tough in England fought really hard and after two games we don’t want to throw a character like him away. Dimuth didn’t score runs in England but he had got a big hundred in New Zealand. Everyone will go through that rough patch and hopefully they can deliver.

“It’s pretty easy to do when you are winning and give the guys a longer run when you are losing that’s not going to be the case. The selectors and the coach and everyone else are of the view that we will retain the same side now that we have won the series. These are the guys whom we believe will deliver at some stage,” he said.

However the only likely change Sri Lanka may make is replace Vishwa Fernando with Suranga Lakmal who has reported fit following hamstring stiffness that saw him miss the first two Tests.

You have to be proactive – Smith

Aussie captain Steven Smith knows what’s in store for his team at the SSC.

“Looking at this wicket it looks like it’s going to take a fair bit of spin from day one so you have to be proactive in the way you play,” said Smith.

“You’ve almost have to reinvent your game to be successful on these surfaces. In Australia, you don’t get balls that are turning like they are here and skidding on, everything’s pretty consistent.

“So it’s finding a way, I guess, and getting outside your comfort zone. It might be about sweeping, or coming down the wicket or getting deep in your crease.

“Sometimes it’s easy to do in the (practice) nets and when you get out in the middle there are guys around the bat, there’s the pressure of the match and it’s a whole different ball game.

“It’s just having the courage and faith to sometimes take a risk you may not take in Australia, and different ways of thinking to get around different situations.”

Australia’s indecision to name their eleven ahead of the third Test as they had done in the first two adds to the uncertainty that exists within the team.

The reason for that was given as hamstring soreness to one of their batters Adam Voges at yesterday’s training session.

“I am sure the selectors are talking about that (making personnel changes),” Smith said ahead of his team’s final training session.

“Losing two matches, you generally talk about those sorts of things so there are certainly possibilities that could happen.”

There is a likelihood of Shaun Marsh making his first appearance in the series after being overlooked for the first two. Marsh is one of the few batsmen in the present team to score a Test hundred in Sri Lanka when Australia last toured in 2011.

The squad will travel to Kandy today to continue training at a higher altitude ahead of the tour and will engage in training sessions. It will be followed by a two-day game at the Pallakelle International Cricket Stadium on Saturday and Sunday (April 23 and 24) whilst training sessions will be conducted concurrently at the nets.

Despite the rains in Colombo and suburbs, the weather in Kandy has remained favourable in the past weeks, and if long range weather reports are anything to go by, will remain so for the next few days giving the squad an ample opportunity to train.

Meanwhile, selection of the Test squad travelling to England is due to be finalized by April 27.

Sri Lanka will play a series of three Tests against England before moving on to the one-day format where they will take on England in five One-Day Internationals and in two Twenty20 Internationals.

The Test series starts at Headingley, Leeds on May 19 followed by the second Test at Durham from May 27 and the third and final Test at Lord’s from June 9.

The Test squad is due to arrive in England on May 4.

Angelo Mathews has been named captain and Dinesh Chandimal his deputy for all three formats of the game.

The preliminary squad selected consists of the following players:

Angelo Mathews (captain), Dasun Chanaka, Dinesh Chandimal (vice-captain), Dhammika Prasad, Dhananjaya de Silva,. Dilruwan Perera, Dimuth Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Jeffrey Vandersay, Kasun Rajitha, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Milinda Siriwardana, Niroshan Dickwella, Nuwan Pradeep, Rangana Herath, Shaminda Eranga, Suranga Lakmal, Tharanga Paranavitana, Vishwa Fernando.

Dual role for Chandrishan Perera

Sri Lanka Cricket has approached its former media manager Chandrishan Perera to take on the role of communications manager on tour for next month’s cricket tour of England.

SLC is in the process of putting into place the support staff for the team which is currently in transition and according to sources a communications manager has been considered a necessity especially when the team is on tour.

Recently SLC recalled former team manager Charith Senanayake as manager for the tour to England and for the home series against Australia.

There is also a possibility that Perera who is renowned for his high skill training may also be asked to assist with the team’s training during the tour.

Perera a top class ruggerite turned out for CH&FC and Sri Lanka and also played cricket for CCC. He is also a qualified fitness trainer and respected rugby commentator and columnist.

The Selection Committee met on 5 June at P. Sara to decide on the composition of the team. SSC’s Jeffrey Vandersay and Badureliya’s Kasun Rajitha are the only new faces in the squad.
Board President’s XI members are: Kaushal Silva, Dimuth Karunaratne, Upul Tharanga, Jehan Mubarak, Dinesh Chandimal (Captain), Milinda Siriwardene, Niroshan Dickwella, Vishwa Fernando, Nisala Tharaka, Kasun Rajitha, Jeffrey Vandersay, Dhananjaya de Silva, Malinda Pushpakumara, Binura Fernando