Selection blunders?
Who picked the Final XI of the Sri Lanka team for yesterday's World
Cup final against India? It shocked everyone when Suraj Randiv was
included in the final line-up at the expense of fellow spinner Ajantha
Mendis.
Randiv is a promising cricketer no doubt. But dragging a player who
was not even in the original squad of 15 to the big league final is far
too expecting. Mendis has a better record against India and should have
played in the final.
We all salute Muttiah Muralitharan as the greatest ever bowler in the
history of the game. Though he has announced his retirement from
international cricket, was it advisable to play a half fit Muralitharan.
In our opinion, winning the mega final is much more important than
giving a farewell tribute to even a great cricketer of Muralitharan's
magnitude.
The selectors found dashing opener Sanath Jayasuriya was not good
enough even to find a place in the squad of 15. But batsman Chamara
Kapugedara who has been given so many chances without much success
looked a mere passenger, though he found a place in the Sri Lanka team
in the final too. Was there any club politics involved in some of these
selection blunders?
While paying a tribute to centurion Mahela Jayawardene and Sri Lanka
team, we feel it's high time the selectors take a stock of the blunders
they made right from the pruning down of the original squad of 30 to 15,
completely ignoring the experience of Jayasuriya and veteran paceman
Chaminda Vaas.
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