Tillakaratne and Atapattu confirmed as captains

Hashan Tillakaratne has been confirmed as Sri Lanka's Test captain, while Marvan Atapattu will continue as the one-day skipper during England's forthcoming tour of Sri Lanka. The decision to continue with the controversial split-leadership system was reached last week following discussions between the four-man selection committee and John Dyson, the new coach from Australia, and was ratified by Sri Lanka's sports ministry today.

The selectors wanted to give Tillakaratne, who is now 35, another chance despite a disappointing start to his tenure, which included a drab drawn series against New Zealand and a 1-0 loss in the West Indies.

"Hashan has had only four Tests as captain and he has not performed all that badly," said Lalith Kaluperuma, the chairman of selectors. "We will give him another opportunity against England before reviewing the situation and deciding whether we should continue with two captains."

Atapattu's start also produced mixed results, as Sri Lanka bombed out of the Bank Alfalah Cup against New Zealand and Pakistan, although he did lead Sri Lanka to a 2-1 win in the one-day series in the West Indies in June.

There had been speculation that Sanath Jayasuriya, who resigned in April after four years at the helm, was being persuaded to return as captain. But Kaluperuma denied the option of Jayasuriya had even been discussed.

The selectors will not pick the squad for the England series until after Sri Lanka A's current tour of South Africa and Kenya, which continues until the end of October. In the meantime the national squad, which has started training, will include all the players from the West Indian tour.