da marjack bet： Middle order batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan and pace bowler Dulip Liyanagehave been recalled into Sri Lanka’s14-man squad for the forthcoming AsianTest Championship final against Pakistan
Charlie Austin22-Feb-2002Middle order batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan and pace bowler Dulip Liyanagehave been recalled into Sri Lanka’s14-man squad for the forthcoming AsianTest Championship final against Pakistan.Sri Lanka will be hoping to extend a record winning to nine when they takeon Pakistan at Gadafi Stadium in Lahore on 6-10 March in an ATC finalsupposed to identify the champions of Asia.But the last-withdrawal of India, due to escalating tensions in Indian-ruledKashmir, has condemned the tournament to being a flop, with little publicinterest and no sponsors.Both teams beat Bangladesh convincingly last year and will be lookingforward to finally finishing the tournament, which was first won by Pakistan1999.Indeed, for Sri Lanka, the game is an untimely interruption in theirpreparations for a tough tour to England starting April. The players haveconcentrated on their fitness during the last four weeks since the Zimbabwetour and have only just started to train in the nets.”Pakistan have been playing against West Indies and are in competitive mode,but we are in training mode and it’s going to be tough,” said coach DavWhatmore.Dilshan’s inclusion in the squad in place of Chamara Silva, who dutifullycarried the drinks during the West Indies and Zimbabwe tours without asingle chance, comes after an impressive Sri Lanka A series against Kenya.The Kalutura born right-hander, 25, burst on to the international scene in1999 when he scored a brilliant 163 not out against Zimbabwe in his secondTest. He was expected to secure a permanent place in the side, but struggledthereafter with a top score of 37.Finally, after a disappointing England series last year when he scored just41 runs in three innings, looking uncomfortable under the pressure appliedby Nasser Hussain’s side, he was jettisoned until his latest call-up.Dilshan is unlikely to play with an established top seven all in form, buthis sound technique against fast bowling makes him a likely tourist toEngland in April.Liyanage, 29, gets his chance after injuries to Dilhara Fernando (back),Ruchira Perera (groin) and Prabath Nissanka (hamstring). Fernando is nowwell on the way to recovery from a stress fracture, whilst Perera andNissanka only have slight strains.Liyanage, considered a reliable swing bowler, with the ability to contributewith the bat, as he showed in the first unofficial ODI between Sri Lanka Aand Kenya on Wednesday when he stroked an unbeaten 66, is also unlikely toplay.Whatmore is expecting a Lahore pitch with “plenty of pace” and “coldconditions” so the established trio of Chaminda Vaas, Nuwan Zoysa andCharitha Buddika are favourites to make the starting line-up.Sri Lanka will probably play just one spinner, Muttiah Muralitharan, unlessconditions are markedly different than what they expect. Leg-spinningall-rounder Upul Chandana, so impressive against Kenya, travels as thereserve slow bowler.Sri Lanka Test squad:Sanath Jayasuriya (captain), Marvan Atapattu (vice-captain), KumarSangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Russel Arnold, Hashan Tillakaratne, ThilanSamaraweera, Chaminda Vaas, Buddhika Fernando, Muttiah Muralitharan, NuwanZoysa, Upul Chandana, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Dulip Liyanage, Chandra Schaffter (manager), Dav Whatmore (coach), Alex Kontouri (physio)