AJITH SIRIWARDANA 
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Malinga to get full-time Sri Lanka T20 captaincy?
Lasith Malinga will be appointed Sri Lanka captain on a full-time basis in the T20 International format replacing the present captain Dinesh Chandimal after the present ICC World T20 tournament, sources told “Daily Mirror”.
Malinga who has led Sri Lanka with much aplomb in the last two matches they played against New Zealand and West Indies to put the team in yet another world cup final will take over reins after the present tournament, sources added.
The star bowler’s first assignment in charge is likely to be the forthcoming tour to Ireland followed by the T20 internationals against England in England.
Sri Lanka chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya who is here in Dhaka with the Sri Lanka team however denied that such a decision has been taken.
“That is absolute rubbish. Selectors have not even met to discuss such a move,” Jayasuriya said last evening.
Jayasuriya however did not rule out that Chandimal’s tenure of captaincy would come up for review shortly.
“We assigned Chandimal only for a one-year period initially. It was not a permanent appointment. He was young and inexperienced, but we wanted to groom him as he is the future of Sri Lankan cricket. So, what we thought was to give him an opportunity and monitor how he fares. The one year we gave him has lapsed, so I will sit down with the selectors shortly to review the position,” Jayasuriya said.
Though there have been no major issues with Chandimal’s captaincy, his batting form has deserted him completely in the T20 format, which might be an indication that the added responsibility has become a burden on the 24-year old’s shoulders.
However Chandimal will obviously be an automatic choice to regain his place in the Sri Lanka T20 team as Sri Lankan stalwarts Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara will retire from the shortest format of the game after Sunday’s final of the ICC World T20 tournament.
“Chandimal is a precious talent and we all know how valuable he is. We need to manage him carefully and help him protect his career. He has the potential to be among world’s best, so it is important that he returns to his natural best,” said Jayasuriya.
“We admire his decision to assess the situation realistically and professionally and let a batsman in better form to take his place in the side. It is an extremely hard decision especially when you are captain. We all know he has an assured place in the side once Kumar and Mahela leave,” he added.
Jayasuriya insisted that the secret behind the selectors playing all the correct cards in the previous two games was not pure luck. “All our decisions were calculated ones. They were not gambles. We did not need any convincing about Thirimanne’s form. Thisara is our best hitter down the order, but we knew that Seekku would provide a crucial extra spin option on a slow and turning wicket,” said Jayasuriya adding that, “Everything fell into place because all our decisions were based on cricket sense.”
Jayasuriya said the team was high in spirits and the morale was at a peak. “Going without captain is a major change that can upset any team. But our boys jelled amazingly and pushed their intensity a notch higher which shows that they are primed for the challenge”.
Jayasurya also revealed that he had lengthy one-to-one discussions with two specific players, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kusal Janith Perera, on the eve of Thursday’s match and felt it had worked as the two openers gave their hundred percent in the victory.
“I only spoke to the two of them individually as I felt they were still not firing from all cylinders. We know they are world-beaters on their day,” said Jayasuriya.
Jayasuriya also revealed that President Mahinda Rajapaksa called his phone immediately after the semi-final victory over West Indies and wanted convey his congratulations.
Meanwhile Sri Lanka Cricket announced in a media release yesterday that they have decided to offer the team a US $ one million bonus if they lift the ICC World T20 title, in addition to the US $ 500,000 participation fee that they had promised earlier. SLC Executive Committee decided this at an emergency meeting yesterday and did not give reason for waiting till the team entered the final to consider the offer which might have had helped to douse the contract issue that flared up before the team left Sri Lanka for the tournament.
After Thursday’s semi final, West Indian skipper Darren Sammy paid a glowing tribute to Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene saying God probably favoured Sri Lanka in that match in order to let the star Sri Lankan duo to leave the game on a high. “I took it like, we’ve won a World Cup. We’re a praying team, God normally answers our prayers. But today I guess two gentlemen who play for Sri Lanka, who’ve given a lot, not only to Sri Lankan cricket, but to cricket on a whole, and I guess the almighty wants them to leave on a high. I guess they have one more game to try and win a World Cup and leave on a high. Probably that’s the reason God put a hand on this match. I’m sure I’ll have another shot at playing T20 world cup, and we’re looking forward to winning it again in the near future.”
The monsoon season has started in Bangladesh and a rainy forecast has been keeping the teams on pins at the business end of the tournament, but the prediction for Sunday remains clear at the moment.(Channaka De Silva)
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