Sri Lanka and India A team players out to impress selectors

Sri Lanka A team skipper, T.M. Dilshan, is looking forward to a chance to impress the selectors before the one-day side is picked for the Natwest Triangular series in June, whilst India A coach hopes to solve the senior side's wicket-keeping problems, as the India A and Sri Lanka A prepare for an unofficial Test and one-day series.

Dilshan, speaking to the journalists at a media briefing held at the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) headquarters in Colombo yesterday, said: "Some of the players in the squad have played Test Matches and some are up and coming good young players. This will be a good opportunity for everyone to impress the selectors. Personally, I'm looking forward to the series, especially with the triangular tournament in England coming up shortly."

Indian coach, Yaspal Sharma expected his young squad to do well despite their inexperience: "This is a young squad that lacks experience. The selectors have picked them so that they can have some exposure in playing against foreign teams and in different conditions. This will also help us to identify the players who have the potential to represent the country."

The coach hopes the tour will help resolve India's wicket-keeper problem: "We are going to search for a player who'll resolve our problems in the wicket keeping department at the international level. That's one of the main targets. We have brought in Parthiv Patel who's only 18 years old and has lot of potential. We want to groom him and see how he fares."

India A had arrived for a 30 day tour in which they will play three unofficial Test Matches and three one day games after a three-day warm-up starting Saturday.

They arrive fresh from a tour to South Africa, although some of the players who featured during that series like Yuvraj Singh, Debasis Mohanty, Mohammad Kaif, and Jacob Martin have remained in India expecting a recall for the upcoming one day series in the West Indies after impressive performances. Dinesh Mongia, who captained the side during that series, is already in the Caribbean.

Speaking at the briefing, the manger of the Indian side, S.Haridas, called on for the players to make the most of the series and to press for their claims in the national side.

In his brief speech, Anura Tennakoon, the CEO of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL), stressed the importance of A tours and called on the players to play competitively within the spirit of the game.

All the matches during the series are to be played in and around Colombo for monetary reasons. The series will start off with a three-day warm up game at R. Premadasa Stadium.