DeSilva omitted from
team to tour SA
Batsman Aravinda DeSilva, under a cloud after being named in an official Indian report on match-fixing, has not been selected in Sri Lanka's squad to tour South Africa next month.
DeSilva was named with former captain Arjuna Ranatunga in a report last week by India's Central Bureau of Investigation. He has denied the report's allegations.
De Silva has not been selected for the last two tours
because of poor form.
Sri Lankan cricket officials, who have appointed a lawyer
to look into the allegations, were not available on Friday
for comment on the squad announced by the country's
cricket board.
There were no debutants in the squad for the three-test
tour that runs from December 7 to January 24.
The team: Sanath Jayasuriya (captain), Marvan Atapattu,
Russel Arnold, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar
Sangakkara, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Chaminda Vaas,
Tilakaratne Dilshan, Kausalya Weeraratne, Muttiah
Muralitharan, Nuwan Zoysa, Avishka Gunawardena,
Pramodya Wickremasinghe, Dilhara Fernando and
Muthumudalige Pushpakumara.
On standby: Sujeewa Silva, Rushira Perera, Indika de
Seram, Kumar Dharmasena and Ravindra
Pushpakumara.
Mail Cricket Editor
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