Date-stamped : 09 Apr97 - 06:23 ===> Preview (The Christchurch Press) 20 March 1997 Sri Lanka Crying For Better Form HAMILTON -- Sri Lankan batting supremo Aravinda de Silva desperately needs a prolonged hit-out when the tourists play Central Districts in a day-night limited overs cricket match in Napier today. The match grants the tourists one last chance to discover some form before the three-match one-day series against New Zealand which starts in Auckland on Saturday. De Silva heads the list of batsmen crying out for a chance to get some runs under their belts following a dismal test series when he scratched together just nine runs in four innings. De Silva, one of the best exponents of the one-day game in the world, was clearly out of sorts during the tests when scores of three, nought, one, and five left his side critically under-resourced in the runs department. Sri Lankan coach Bruce Yardley has no doubts 31-year-old de Silva will rediscover his golden touch in time to cause New Zealand a few headaches. "Aravinda has the class to come back, but only he can pick the bat up and sort it out. "As a coach you don't try to get into the minds of great batsmen. He is a very, very good player and it is something he has to sort out himself. "I can help him, and work with him, but when you are that good, you have to sort it out yourself. No one else can hold the bat for you." It is a message Yardley has been drumming into his batsmen since Sri Lanka conceded the second test by 120 runs in Hamilton on Monday when it also lost the series 0-2. "A lot of our guys have to appreciate that they can't look to someone else all the time," he said. Yardley hinted the World Cup one-day champion would take its best line-up into the match against Central Districts at McLean Park today. "We have to get our first XI playing and give them as much cricket as possible." The 18-year-old completed his debut test series carrying a slight thigh strain, and it seems highly improbable that he is considered among Sri Lanka's frontline one-day specialists anyway. Central Districts were not to confirm their side until today, but they are expected to name the same side which completed a Shell Trophy match against Canterbury in Blenheim yesterday, plus New Zealand swing bowler Andrew Penn. Penn, drafted into the test squad in Hamilton where he acted as 12th man, has been named in the New Zealand 13-man squad for the opening two matches in the one-day series. He has not played for almost three weeks. The Kiwis ventured to Auckland today to prepare for Saturday's match but management released Penn for the game in Napier as they could see no harm in him having a match before the internationals begin. Teams: Sri Lanka (from): Arjuna Ranatunga (captain), Sanath Jayasuriya, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Roshan Mahanama, Marvan Atapattu, Aravinda de Silva, Hashan Tillekaratne, Chaminda Vaas, Upul Chandana, Kumar Dharmasena, Muttiah Muralitharan, Sajeewa de Silva, Ravindra Pushpakumara, Ruwan Kalpage and Nuwan Zoysa. Central Districts (from): Mark Greatbatch (captain), Craig Spearman, Glen Sulzberger, Matthew Sinclair, Llorne Howell, Matthew Walker, Campbell Furlong, Andrew Penn, Craig Findlay, Lance Hamilton, Carl Bulfin and Eric Austin. -- NZPA Source :: The Christchurch Press (http://www.press.co.nz) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)