‘National duty first, lucrative IPL second’

Chris DHAMBARAGE

Newly appointed captain Tillekeratne Dilshan believes that he could continue with the same batting form when he leads the Sri Lanka team for the upcoming Test and One Day International series against England next month.

The dashing opener who was the leading run getter at the ICC World Cup tournament in India said that he will continue to be aggressive on the field as a batsman and now as the captain of the Sri Lanka team. The 34 year old dynamic all rounder also stressed the importance of putting the country before any other tournament while hoping that the players in the Indian IPL would return back to the country before May 5.

Dilshan stated that national duty is more important than the lucrative Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament and hope that the selected players in the Test squad will be available for the tour. The new Sri Lanka captain also paid tribute to former captain Kumar Sangakkara and former vice captain Mahela Jayawardena who played a sterling role in lifting the team towards the 2011 ICC World Cup final.

Dilshan believes that the presence of Sangakkara and Jayawardena is a tremendous boost to the team and hope that they will serve Sri Lanka cricket in the same way during the Test series against England.

Dilshan of course said that his maiden assignment as captain of the national team is a tough and challenging one where the players need to acclimatize to the English conditions well ahead of the series.

The new Sri Lanka captain noted that the team has performed well in all forms of cricket during the last 12 months and is hoping that they could maintain the same momentum during the current year. Sri Lanka have a tough schedule ahead after the England series with a home series against Australia followed by the tours to South Africa and Pakistan.

Dilshan believes that the England series will be a good opportunity for the up and coming players to make an impact and cement their places in the national team. He was pleased with the squad named for the England series with a combination of youth and experience.