SL: Twenty-One Member Poll For Singer World Series (12 Jun 1996)

12 June 1996

Twenty-one member poll for Singer World Series

By Sa`adi Thawfeeq

Promising schoolboy leg-spinner Nimesh Perera has been named in the 21-member Sri Lanka pool from which the final squad will be selected for the four-nation Singer World Series limited-over cricket tournament from August 24 to September 9.

Perera, who is tipped to lead St. Sebastian`s College, Moratuwa next season, picked up a record 131 wickets in the recently concluded 1995-6 season, improving on his own record set the previous year by two.

He is also a division I Sara trophy player having represented Sebastianites during the 1995-6 season. Sebastianites also have another player in the pool in one drop batsman Sanjeewa Silva, who had a prolific season topping 1,000 runs in first-class cricket.

The 14 cricketers who made up the World Cup winning team are included along with seven others, selected largely on their performances in the domestic season.

Among them is former Sri Lanka all-rounder Ruwan Kalpage and fast-medium bowler Erik Upashantha, who made the tour to Australia last year, fast-medium bowler Mario Villavarayan, who helped CCC win the Sara trophy, Kurunegala Youth CC`s talented wicket-keeper/batsman Lanka Silva and Police SC and former Dharmapala, Pannipitiya all-rounder Nihal Soysa.

Australia, India and Zimbabwe will join host Sri Lanka in the second Singer World Series tournament. India won the inaugural tournament also held in Sri Lanka in September 1994 beating the host nation in a rain-reduced final.

The 21-members are requested to report to coach Dav Whatmore at the NCC grounds on Thursday (June 13) at 9.30 a.m. for a fitness test.

The squad: Arjuna Ranatunga, Aravinda de Silva, Roshan Mahanama, Asanka Gurusinha, Sanath Jayasuriya, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Hashan Tillekeratne, Ravindra Pushpakumara, Pramodya Wickremasinghe, Chaminda Vaas, Upul Chandana, Marvan Atapattu, Muthiah Muralitharan, Kumara Dharmasena, Nihal Soysa, Nimesh Perera, Erik Upashantha, Sanjeewa Silva, Mario Villavarayen, Ruwan Kalpage, and Lanka Silva.

Source :: Daily News (http.//www.lanka.net)