Lanka heading in right direction – Hashan Tillekeratne

by Ranjan Anandappa

With the 2015 World Cricket Cup to be jointly held in Australia and New Zealand not too far away, National Selector and former Sri Lanka Captain Hashan Tillekeratne is confident that the team is heading on the right direction. He said that all the junior teams from U.15, U. 17 and Under 19 have fared promisingly which augurs well for the future.

“There are many talented players coming out systematically. However, it is pity that the tour of Zimbabwe did not take place as more foreign exposure could have been given to the players. Under 19 and ‘A’ tours are very crucial for the development of the game.

During my time potential players could be identified easily, but today it is not the same. It takes some time for a player to establish himself. So we should guide them carefully.

Kusal Janith Perera looks a replica of Sanath Jayasuriya while batting, but he too will take sometime to get into the stride of Sanath only by constant exposure,” said Tillekeratne. “When the Sri Lanka ‘A’ team last toured the West Indies they fared well. The reason may be the Lankans were better focused in the game than their West Indian counterparts. That was one reason for the team to do well,” added Tillekeratne.

The Test and ODI tour of Dubai this December where Sri Lanka will meet Pakistan, should do a world of good for the players.