Sri Lankan Selection Committee Offers Resignation

Sri Lankan Selection Committee Offers Resignation

Aravinda de Silva (left), along with the rest of the committee, has offered his resignation

©REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte (SRI LANKA - Tags: SPORT CRICKET) Picture Supplied by Action Images

One day after Kumar Sangakkara resigned the One-Day and Twenty20 International captaincy, the selection committee has submitted its resignation to the Minister of Sports.

They were due to end their term on 30th April 2011 but, led by former captain and World Cup winner Aravinda de Silva, they intend to stand down with immediate effect.

Meanwhile, experienced batsman Mahela Jayawardene has told news agency Agence France-Presse that he is resigning as vice-captain and the selection committee had accepted his resignation.

"I think it's time to move on, give the reins to someone younger in the team," he said.

With bet365 now making Sri Lanka 11/2 third favourites for the 2015 World Cup, a letter to the sports minister, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, from the committee, read as follows:

"We were appointed asNational Selectors in June 2010 and as you are aware ouf term ends on 30th April 2011.

"When we took over our assignment our broad goal was always to hand over Sri Lanka Cricket in better shape than when we took over. Our main objectives were to see that Sri Lanka won the World Cup 2011 and also to uplift our world rankings in the Test and One Day Cricket. We also paid very high emphasis on domestic cricket, T/20 and also on developing the feeder players at Academy and A Team levels.

"While, like everyone else associated with Sri Lanka Cricket we are also enormously disappointed at our not being able to annex the coveted World Cup, which was lost to India in a highly competitive final, we are very happy that we have been able to meet most of our objectives in a short space of time.

"In view of the fact that some major cricketing decisions have to be taken for the future of Sri Lanka Cricket due to important assignments in the coming months, we would like to offer to step down immediately from the jobs of National Selectors, so that the group of selectors you may wish to appoint, could be given an opportunity to make short and long term plans, in the way they think it is best for our cricket.

"We have had a very exciting and challenging time and must emphatically say that we greatly enjoyed the task that we considered sacred, entrusted to us. We on every occasion sought views of the team management and at the same time maintained the distance that was required in such deliberations. The decision was always independently made without fear or favor and what we thought was best for our cricket and conditions that were to be encountered."

© Cricket World 2011