Sangakkara behind the stumps again

Three South Africans nursing injuries :

Dinesh Weerawansa

CRICKET: Sri Lanka's Kumara Sangakkara will return to keep wickets while South Africa is hit by injury worries as the two teams made their final preparations for the Unitech Triangular day-night series one-day international tournament 'curtain raiser' to be played at Premadasa Stadium, Colombo on Monday.

Sangakkara, who only played as a batsman in the recently concluded two-Test series against South Africa, will return to perform his usual duties behind the stumps as Sri Lanka open the three-nation tournament with a game against South Africa at the Premadasa Stadium on Monday.

Team sources said Sangakkara has been asked to play his usual wicket keeper-batsman role to maintain the balance in the side. The move would enable the selectors to play an extra batsman or a bowler.

"It depends on whether we would go in with four bowlers or five. But we have not finalised the team yet for the opening game. It all depends on how the wicket would look like on Monday," Chairman of selectors, Ashantha de Mel said yesterday.

De Mel said Sangakkara was relieved of his wicket keeping duties for the Tests to enable him to concentrate fully on his batting. This, he accomplished in style with a world record 624-run partnership with his captain Mahela Jayawardena of which Sangakkara's contribution was 287. But Sri Lanka is not going to adopt the same strategy for the limited over games.

"It's just 50 overs or less he has to keep wickets. Hence, there is no problem in using him as the wicket keeper," the chief selector explained. However, Sri Lanka has included Prasanna Jayawardena, who kept wickets in the Janashakthi Test series and fared well as a batsman, in its 14-member squad for the triangular series.

Meanwhile, former captain Marvan Atapattu is unlikely to figure in all Sri Lanka's matches at the Tri series. The veteran opening batsman, who has just recovered from a back injury and found a place in the Sri Lanka squad, plans a gradual return to the side. Even the national selectors do not wont to risk Atapattu by playing him in the entire tournament.

Atapattu's immediate return will depend on how comfortable he would be in a practice game today. The stylish opening batsman will play for Sri Lanka Academy in today's warm-up game against Victoria.

"This is mainly for him to get batting practice ahead of the triangular series," De Mel said. However, he is unlikely to play in Sri Lanka's opening game against South Africa, who too, are facing injury worries.

Three of the leading South African players - skipper Mark Boucher, Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini are nursing injuries. Beaten 0-2 in the two-Test series after missing the services of regular captain and vice captain, South Africans cannot afford to lose anymore key players for the triangular series.

Boucher pulled out of yesterday's practice game against Sri Lanka Academy side due to an injured left elbow while Pollock, a veteran of 259 one day internationals, has a niggling injury. But South African tour management is confident that the duo would be fit by Monday.

But Ntini, who did not bowl on the final day of the second Test at Sara Stadium due to a left hamstring strain, is unlikely to figure in Monday's first game.

In case he is ruled out, his place in the team as a quick bowler would go to Dale Steyn, who has played in just four one day internationals before.

Meanwhile, the two practice games scheduled for yesterday were washed off by rain. The 20Twenty game amongst Sri Lanka poolists at Sara Stadium and South Africa's 50 over game against Sri Lanka Cricket President's X1 at NCC grounds were washed off due to overnight rain, thus robbing vital match practice the South African and Sri Lanka players were expecting to have.

But the Indians, who are down to play in two warm up games today and tomorrow, hope that they would not suffer the same fate before their first Tri Series game against Sri Lanka on Wednesday. The Indian team arrived in Colombo late Thursday night.

The Indians have not won a ODI tournament in Sri Lanka recently as they lost both the 2004 Asia Cup final and the 2005 Tri-Series here.