New selection committee to name pool for upcoming Pakistan cricket tour: Jayasekara

By Chathuri Dissanayake

The team for the upcoming Pakistan Cricket tournament will be announced in the near future once the new selection committee is appointed, Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera said. 

A squad which was put together before the selection committee resigned en-masse two weeks ago is in training now Jayasekara said, but the ministry is yet to announce the team selection for the upcoming series. 

“A group of about 25 players has been named in the squad and they have a few weeks of practice left. The team selection for the upcoming tour will be announced after I appoint the new selection committee,” the minister told journalists during the Cabinet press briefing held yesterday. 

“I will appoint the selection committee during the next two days,” Jayasekara assured. 

The selection committee chaired by former cricket captain Sanath Jayasuriya resigned amidst criticism against the Sri Lankan team’s performance. The cricket team’s failure to perform was partly blamed on the selection committee, with the inclusion of a number of players being called into question by analysts. 

A brainstorming workshop to develop strategies to improve performance as proposed by the minister as a means of finding a solution to deal with the crisis situation in the country’s national cricket team is to take place on 15 September at Water’s Edge. All former national cricket captains, current and former Cricket Board members including interim committee members, regional cricket club managers and coaches, and sports journalists have been invited to attend the workshop, Jayasekara said. 

The minister also said that no decision has been taken yet to play matches against Pakistan in Lahore to date, although a T20 match is scheduled to be played at the venue. 

“We have to be 100% sure of the security of our players. We remember what happened when Sangakkara and the team visited the country. So no decision has been taken yet to play matches in the country,” Jayasekara said. 

A decision in this regard will be made after taking into consideration the diplomatic ties the country has with Pakistan, he said. 

“Pakistan as a country has been with us during our time of need and this year they helped us by providing rice to meet the rice shortage due to the drought. All this has to be considered when a decision is made,” the minister said.