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.