Point of view :

Selectors found wanting

I feel very uneasy by the reasons given by the national selectors with regard to the selection of our World Cup squad:

1/ Now they say domestic tournaments didn’t persuade their thinking. Then they must have gone by reputation. If that is the case don’t Jayasuriya and Vaas have the biggest reputations of all?

2/ Why did they select the team 12 days before the ICC deadline? Were they afraid that Jayasuriya and Vaas would come back into form?

3/ It was Jayasuriya’s batting that was in decline [ prior to the recent surge of form] and not his fielding or bowling? Then why did they select Herath ahead of Jayasuriya? Jayasurya could have done an equally good job with the ball as Herath with the tantalising prospect of a couple of whirlwind innings into the bargain. 4/ Is Aravinda’s panel serious by implying [ through selection] that Dilhara is a better bowler than Vaas?

5/ If Dilhara is a like - for - like replacement for Malinga [as Aravinda says though I beg to differ considering their contrasting class and style] hasn’t Dilhara’s selection been based on a future possibility that may never happen [ Malinga getting injured at the World Cup] than current form?

6/ Flowing from the above rationale it would contradict their own rationale if they play Malinga and Dilhara in the same match.

7/ Should a ‘Balanced Team’ take precedence over the ‘Best Team’? Wouldn’t it have been more sensible had they first selected the BEST XI [ which certainly includes Vaas and excludes Dilhara] and then tried to balance the team with the remaining 4 spots of the 15 man squad?

Not surprisingly today the selectors are covered with egg all over their faces by the performance of Jayasuriya and Vaas and it goes to show that international playing experience and common sense does not always go hand in hand. These were elementary mistakes the selectors could have easily avoided.

Too much intellectualizing - by the Aravinda - Sangakkara combination [ I don’t believe the rest of the selectors had much say] has made a simple task a confusing muddle.

This team may very well win the World Cup but having Vaas and Jayasuriya in the team would have made the task that much easier.

Mahendra Mapagunaratne Toronto