Sri Lanka will miss Atapattu

CRICKET: Sri Lanka will badly miss the experience of former captain Marvan Atapattu who has probably closed the door on his international career having ignored the national selection committee for a second time by turning down an invitation to meet them.

The 36-year-old elegant right-hander was set to meet Cricket Board officials and the national selectors at a special meeting at the SLC headquarters to decide his future career.

Atapattu who has scored 16 Test hundreds would have been a great inspiration for the side in Australia especially with his technique and temperament to play a long innings.

In fact Atapattu has a total of six Test double hundreds to his credit along with his teammate Kumar Sangakkara a feat bettered only by Sir Don Bradmon (12), Wally Hammond and Brian Lara with seven each.

In 88 Test matches Atapattu has accumulated a total of 5330 runs at an average of 38.90. His career also includes 15 half centuries.

This is a tremendous achievement considering his awful start to the international career where he had a pair in his Test debut against India in 1990.

Although he is a vulnerable starter Atapattu has the talent and the potential and can show immense strength of character once he gets his eye in. In fact it took him nearly seven years to get established but since the 1990s his average has climbed upwards.

He of course did not play a single game in the recent World Cup in the West Indies despite being in the squad and was also overlooked for the one-day series in Abu Dhabi against Pakistan.

He then announced his unavailability for the home series against Bangladesh citing personal reasons and was asked to be released from his central contract, sparking speculation that he might be linked to the Indian Cricket League (ICL).

Atapattu was sidelined by a back injury in 2006 leading to the appointment of Mahela Jayawardene as captain. He made the last of his Test centuries against New Zealand in April 2005 and he last reached three figures in one-day internationals way back in October 2004. (C.D)