Published: Jul 08, 2017, 07:20 PM (IST)
Edited: Jul 08, 2017, 07:20 PM (IST)
Upset with axing of Dinesh Chandimal, former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga has taken a dig at current panel of team selectors. The panel, that includes legendary Sanath Jayasuriya in it, dropped the talented right-handed batsman from the first two Zimbabwe One-Day Internationals (ODIs) after he struggled to score consistently in the past few matches. Ranataunga, reminding Jayasuriya of his early struggle to score, expressed his disappointment over the matter and also blamed the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) selectors for destroying Chandimal’s promising career. Chandimal, who had a great 2016, disappointed one and all with only three half-centuries in 2017. ALSO READ: Arjuna Ranatunga unhappy with Sri Lanka’s over-dependency on spin
“I am bitterly disappointed with what these people have done with Chandimal. They have destroyed him. I am surprised that Sanath Jayasuriya being a selector, he has forgotten his past. It took Sanath more than 40 games to score his first half-century. He was never comfortable earlier on in his career. The team management and the selectors faced lot of pressure those days, but we backed him as we knew that he was our future,” Ranatunga was quoted as saying by The Island.
“Look at what he ended up with. I am sad that Sanath is not doing the same with younger players. Dinesh Chandimal is a naturally gifted player and you don’t find talents like him in the country. He is a rare talent and I am pretty certain he is the future.
“He is going to win you lot of matches. He was our best batsman last year averaging 59 and at the age of 27 has done wonderfully well having already scored four ODI hundreds. So what more do you want?” he added.
