The 'Daily News' was spot on

Elmo Rodrigopulle

CRICKET : Good that the selectors on tour finally saw reason and tossed in Sanath Jayasuriya to play in the Final Test against England which began at Trent Bridge, yesterday.

In my 'Comment' on Tuesday I said in an article headlined - Time to toss in Jayasuriya', and gave reasons as to why the Lankans should do so.

And as pointed out in the 'Daily News', the selectors have decided to toss in Jayasuriya to strengthen the middle order batting which has sadly been collapsing.

When I said that Jayasuriya should be played, I said it from the heart, with the interest of the game in mind.

With Sri Lanka losing the second Test, which could have been won, had we pushed the English batting to chase a formidable score for victory, it was necessary that we put our best team, for the crucial final Test.

Jayasuriya with his experience should have been played in the earlier Test. But then that is bygones now. The Test now on, must be won. The Lankans must throw everything they have at the Englishmen. This is a second string England side, missing their main strike force.

The Englishmen are also human. They can succumb under pressure.

The Lankans must believe in themselves and fire, then the pieces will fall right.

When Ashantha de Mel, chairman of selectors and his squad picked and rushed Jayasuriya to England, they did so for the good of the game and not to undermine anybody.

But they seemed to have been misunderstood. Any way it is good that the tour selectors have put that misunderstanding behind them, come down from their ivory towers and given Jayasuriya a go.

Mahela Jayawardena, the Lankan skipper has always been singing the praises of Jayasuriya and letting it known the importance of having the dashing allro under in the side.

Jayasuriya a fitness fanatic will come out firing all cylinders.It is said that fortune favours the brave, and if that fortune smiles his way, he will make the Englishmen pay, like he did on the previous tour and make the homesters suffer.

When the final ball is bowled, I hope that the Lankans would have beaten the overrated Englishmen and forced their biased media to headline their stories - Brave Lankans bring English cricket to their knees.

Jayawardena and his troops have it in them to do just that.