Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLC) has completely screwed national team’s high profile Coach Chandika Hathurusingha after Sri Lanka lost yet another match embarrassingly, this time as innings and 40 runs defeat against a second string Australia in the first test.
As Cricket Age had published on January 27 itself that after a heated argument between Hathurusingha and one of the selector Hemantha Wickramaratne before the first test, SLC has removed the coach as one of the selector of the team.
According to sources, a directive has been issued by the Sports Minister Harin Fernando to the selection committee headed by Asantha De Mel that the team for the matches will now be selected by the captain, manager and selectors and that the majority opinion of the new management (selectors, captain and team manager) will prevail.
The letter, signed by SLC Competent Authority Chulananda Perera, has been sent to the team management currentlyin Australia and copied to the national selectors.
On January 27, Cricket Age had exposed that Hemantha Wickramaratne, the selector on tour, tried to be involved in the selection process before the first test. However, Hathurusingha, who becomes a selector on tour as per former SLC President Thilanga Sumathipala modified constitution, bluntly told Wickramaratne that he has the authority to pick playing eleven, so he doesn’t need anyone suggestion.
It is noteworthy that lot of technical and selection blunders caused Sri Lanka a humiliating defeat against Australia. In last two years, Kusal Perera has emerged as Sri Lanka’s best shorter formats batsman. Even then, he could not find a place in the team. More surprisingly, Dinesh Chandimal, the captain of the team, came to bat at number three and failed miserably with five runs in two innings.
