Sanath Jayasuriya led committee given sixth month extension

The selection committee of Sri Lanka led by Sanath Jayasuriya has received an extension of six months for the ongoing term. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) made the announcement on Tuesday, July 4, which means the current committee will be in office until the end of the year.

Sanath Jayasuriya’s five-member team include Romesh Kaluwitharana, Ranjith Madurasinghe, Eric Upashantha and Asanka Gurusinha. The committee will stay in place until December 31, 2017, after their extension was ratified by Dayasiri Jayasekara, the sports minister of the island nation.

Jayasuriya was first appointed as the chairman of the selection committee in January 2013 and performed the role till the end of the 2015 World Cup. Subsequently, he was reappointed to the post in April 2016 and took over from Aravinda de Silva, who happens to be his former Sri Lanka teammate.

Upashantha has worked under Jayasuriya since the latter’s first term which began in 2013. On the other hand, Kaluwitharana and Madurasinghe have been a part of the panel since April 2016.

Debutant selector

Meanwhile, Gurusinha has joined the selection panel for the first time. He is a former Sri Lanka batsman and has been part of the Sri Lankan team management as manager since February this year. Unfortunately for him, he had to see his side go through a disappointing home series against Bangladesh, an early exit from the Champions Trophy and a shocking loss to Zimbabwe in a One-Day International in recent times.

After the ongoing Zimbabwe series, Sri Lanka will clash against India later this month in a home series. The two sides are scheduled to meet for three Tests, five ODIs and one Twenty20 International. Sri Lanka were able to level the five-match ODI series against Zimbabwe after the visitors shocked them by chasing down a 300+ total in the first ODI. The ODI series will be followed by a one-off Test in Colombo from July 14.