Sri Lanka determined to bounce back in ODIs

*Lasith Malinga returns to strengthen pace attack

*Thilan Samaraweera – a surprise omission

PAARL, Jan. 7 - Sri Lanka, after going down narrowly 1-2 in the three-Test series, is determined to bounce back and win the five-match One Day International series against South Africa which is scheduled to commence on Wednesday.

The tourists have included paceman Nuwan Kulasekera in the squad for the ODI series. Sri Lanka’s pace attack looks formidable for the ODI series as they have regained the services of Lasith Malinga. After four months on the sidelines, Malinga, along with top order batsman Upul Tharanga and Kosala Kulasekara are back in the side.

Surprisingly, middle order bat Thilan Samaraweera, Sri Lanka’s most successful batsman in the three-Test series has not found a place in the squad for the one day series. Samaraweera, along with Chanaka Welegedara, Kaushal Silva, Tharanga Paranavitana, Dimuth Karunaratne and Kanishka Alvitigala are the players who will return home after the Test series.

Kulasekara, who has not played since sustaining an injury in their home ODI series against Australia last August, will replace Alvitigala who did not get a chance of making Test debut. Malinga, who retired from Test cricket last year, will strengthen Sri Lanka’s pace attack.

Spinner Herath, better known in the established game, found a place in the one-day squad after his match-winning haul of nine wickets in Sri Lanka's upset win over South Africa in the second Test in Durban. It is unfortunate that Samaraweera has not been treated in similar fashion after a rich harvest with the willow in the Test series.

Ajantha Mendis, after being dropped for the last series against Pakistan, returns to the side, ahead of Prasanna, who managed to capture only four wickets in five ODIs against Pakistan in the UAE.

Chairman of selectors, Duleep Mendis believes that Sri Lanka team is going through a period of transition and needs time to become consistent. Former Sri Lanka captain turned Chief selector said it was only a matter of time before the team came together. “The boys need to develop the spinners, develop the fast bowlers. Rangana Herath is turning out to be a match winning bowler. Similarly, the fast bowlers too need time. They should know how to get 20 wickets,” he was quoted as saying.

“We must give them more time to settle down. They need to play more matches and they will gradually become successful,” Mendis said. He confirmed that the national selectors were looking at player development and their strategy was to blood young players in the limited-over formats first, and then in Tests.

Mendis said they put more emphasis on the youngsters in the Twenty20 version first and promote some of them in the ODIs. “We thought, whenever possible, we will introduce some of the youngsters into the Test side and see how they perform,” he said. Mendis stressed the importance of players developing their mental strength to cope with the demands when they represent the country at the highest level.

“The players need a lot of mental coaching. What matters the most at the Test level is your mental strength. You have learned the technical aspects of the game already, so you need the mental strength to go through difficult times, and to come out of the difficult times,” he was quoted as saying.

Sri Lanka captain Tillakaratne Dilshan said that they would put aside their Test series defeat and would make every effort to win the ODI series to make their presence felt. “Before we came here, everyone thought we couldn't win a Test outside Sri Lanka. After the retirement of Muttiah Muralitharan, people said we couldn't take 20 wickets in a match. But now everyone knows we can do both,” said Dilshan before the team prepared to head to Paarl for the first ODI against South Africa.

“As a team, we have to take the blame for losing the deciding third and final Test. We didn't start well in Cape Town though everyone came here with a lot of confidence after winning the second Test.

We had a good chance to draw the series but we haven't been bowling and batting consistently. We planned a lot of things but it didn't work,” he said.