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From the Press Box by Sa'adi Thawfeeq

Another cricket tour and another controversy over selections raises its ugly head. Once again it centers on a fast bowler. The Sri Lanka squad of 15 to Australia was expected to be picked at the end of the third one-day international against South Africa on the first of this month. But until today no finality has been reached.

What we now are made to understand is that the final selection has been put off till the team arrives from South Africa on Monday, which leaves just two days before they are due to fly off again to Australia.

This time the dispute is over discarded fast bowler Nuwan Zoysa whom the team management is pressing hard for inclusion. Following a rather disappointing tour of England where he took six wickets at a cost of 43.16 in two Tests and went for nearly six and half runs an over for his five wickets in the NatWest one-day series, Zoysa was discarded for the home series against Bangladesh, the Morocco Cup, the ICC Champions trophy and present tour to South Africa, and his place given to a few youngsters.

The performances of the young fast bowlers has not been all that outstanding given the fact that they will need time and plenty of exposure to come up with consistent performances. Thus the selectors are keen to persist with the young lot for this purpose.

From the team managements point they are desperate to get an experienced fast bowler into the bowling line up to support Chaminda Vaas, Pulasthi Gunaratne and Dilhara Fernando.

From the time he was left out Zoysa has not done anything startling to earn a recall. In the Premier trophy league he took four wickets (avg. 10.75) in three matches and in the on-going Premier trophy limited over tourney he has captured three wickets (avg. 27.66) from six matches.

It was over a difference of opinion on the selection of a bowler for the South African tour that fast bowler Ruchira Perera was picked as the 17th player. We all know what happened. Perera's ignorance led to him being barred from bowling midway of the South African innings in the Johannesburg Test which deprived the team of a front line bowler. Needless to say Sri Lanka lost the test by an innings inside three days. Pereras inclusion prevented another young fast bowler from playing and gaining that valuable experience in South Africa. With a similar situation looming up prior to selections for Australia, are we going to see another repetition of what happened in South Africa?

With the exception of the third one-day international at Benoni, which Sri Lanka won so handsomely by seven wickets, it has been the batting that has failed Sri Lanka on the South African tour. Totals of 128, 140 and 184 in a fifty-over contest do not reflect so much of our batting talent on South African surfaces.

One fails to understand why such a hue and cry is being made over selection of bowlers when the root cause of our defeats is the failure of the batsmen to deliver.

The last time there was a dispute over selections, the Sports Minister threatened to change the selection committee. Interim committee chairman Hemaka Amarasuriya however, stood firmly behind the selection panel, two of whom are members of his own committee. Despite some overtures nothing drastic took place and the three wise men continue to serve cricket to the best of their ability.

Chopping and changing the selection committee to suit the whims and fancies of certain individuals is not going to bring winning results. The players should be told to concentrate on their cricket and produce winning results and, leave the selections to those whom the Minister had faith in choosing.

Little Kalu

It is a pity that Romesh Kaluwitharana failed to make it to the final 30 picked for the World Cup. The unfortunate thing for little Kalu was that his performances with the bat came a shade too late to catch the selectors eyes before they met the ICC World Cup deadline, which was November 30. His last appearance for his country was in the NatWest one-day series in England in June where he made scores of 52, 15, 7 and 8 opening with Sanath Jayasuriya.

In the on-going Premier limited over competition, Kalu's robust batting has brought him 389 runs in six matches at an impressive average of 97.25, inclusive of four fifties, the last two of which were 99 and 98 (n.o.). If Kalu is to be included in the World Cup pool, the Cricket Board will need to seek special permission with a valid reason from the ICC. Kalu can take heart that he is not alone in this type of situation. Australia's World Cup winning captain Steve Waugh too has been left out of their 30 and Waugh is not taking the decision lying down. He has made it public that he is going to come out with all guns blazing to prove the selectors wrong. Kalu could follow his example.

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