MCA Division A set for starless and damp start

The Mercantile Cricket Association Division A tournament starts this weekend with defending champions Hatton National Bank once again favourites to emerge victorious in the six-week competition.

HNB have dominated the tournament in recent years and this year looks no different, especially with their main competitors having been hit hard by the absence of national players because of the current tour to England.

They have a whole host of players with international experience, including Tillakaratne Dilshan, Avishka Gunawardene, Chamara Silva, Kumar Dharmasena and Aklanka Ganegama.

Seylan Bank, last years runner-up, have been hit particularly hard by Sri Lanka's tour of England, losing Mahela Jayawardene, Chaminda Vaas, Dilhara Fernando and Thilan Samaraweera. They still, however, could be a force with a strong batting line-up led by Pradeep Hewage and Ian Daniel.

Apart from the non-availability of star players, the other headache faced by MCA officials has been the weather. With play set to start on Saturday, the threat of widespread disruptions grow, as heavy monsoon rains continue to pound the city of Colombo on a daily basis.

Match officials will, at least, be relieved by the organisers decision to use the "Parabola System" when making adjustments for lost time rather than the "Duckworth Lewis Method" which is more complicated, both conceptually and logistically.

Singer and Access have pulled out of this year's tournament, allowing Commercial Bank promotion from Division B.

Sri Lanka Telecom, who signed up a number of first class players from Chilaw Marians, requested entry straight into Division A in their first season of MCA cricket but this was refused by the MCA executive committee.

This leaves a total of seven sides, who will play 21 games in the group stages before the top four progress to a knockout round that includes a semi-final and final.

Singer are the main sponsors of the tournament.