Sri Lankan selectors look at life without Muralitharan

The national selectors named three spinners in the Board President's team as cover for Muralitharan for the four-day match against England starting at Matara on Thursday.

With the First Test against England looming in ten days, the injury to Muralitharan, who is expected to play a key role in the series, is a main worry for the national selectors.

Left-arm spinner Niroshan Bandaratilake, leg-spinner Malinga Bandara and schoolboy off-spinner Muthumudalige Pushpakumara were named in the 14 for the four-day game starting at Matara's Uyanwatte Stadium on Thursday.

Bandaratilake, who bowls in tandem with Muralitharan for Tamil Union in the Premier trophy league tournament, needs a good performance at Matara to give an indication to the selectors that he is ready for a recall to either play alongside Muralitharan, or as the key spinner if Muralitharan is ruled out of the Test.

He played the last of his four Tests in March 1999 against Pakistan at Lahore in the Asian Test championships. Bandara has made only one Test appearance against New Zealand in 1997-98. Both have been tried out as support bowlers to Muralitharan, but none has succeeded in holding his place despite being consistent wicket-takers in domestic cricket. Matara offers them another opportunity.

Pushpakumara is the most inexperienced of the trio and, in the limited appearances he has had for Colts XI and Sri Lanka Under-19 and A sides, he projected himself more as a late order batsman than a frontline off-spinner.

Tillekeratne Dilshan, who scored a century against England in the four-day game at the Sara Stadium, has been named captain of the side. He will also take over wicket-keeping duties.

The Board President's team: Tillekeratne Dilshan (captain), Ruwin Peiris, Avishka Gunawardana, Hashan Tillakaratne, Sunendra Kumar, Jeevantha Kulatunga, Muthumudalige Pushpakumara, Niroshan Bandaratilake, Malinga Bandara, Dinusha Fernando, Ruchira Perera, Kaushalya Lokuarachchi, Chamara Silva, Nisal Randika.