de Mel's criticism entirely misplaced

Sri Lanka's selectors are traditionally a secretive breed, all too often afraid to make public comment and reluctant to explain their decision-making. Thus, the current chairman's astonishing broadside at the team management, during which he labelled senior players "selfish", was as remarkable as it is deeply worrying. Asantha de Mel's attack came out of the blue and will have left the players, quite understandably, fuming.

In one sense the willingness of de Mel - a member of the Sidath Wettimuny selection committee that ruffled feathers after the 1999 World Cup when it sacked Arjuna Ranatunga, Hashan Tillakaratne, Roshan Mahanama and Aravinda de Silva - to go public might be applauded. For too long we have known too little about the machinations and thinking behind selection. But this time his communication was not constructive. Whether borne out of frustration or malice, it is likely to widen the gulf between the selectors and the players.

de Mel's central argument was that Marvan Atapattu and the team management have been blocking the blooding of youngsters while on tour (the management select the playing XI on tour while at home the selectors have the final say). The team management - made up of the captain, coach, vice-captain and manager, with input from senior and influential players - have, according to de Mel, been too reluctant to experiment with young talent and thwarted an attempt by the selectors to build for the future.

The accusation that the management's decision-making has been prompted by selfish motives is very serious indeed. It also appears wide of the mark. Atapattu has frequently and publicly indicated a desire to blood youngsters at appropriate times. Moreover, they have been slotted in Zimbabwe (April), the Asia Cup (July) and against South Africa (August) whenever they have been assured of qualification before a dead-rubber game. But Atapattu, quite rightly, is also concerned about winning to maintain the momentum of the team.

de Mel cites the case of Thilina Kandamby, who he obviously believes has been given a raw deal by the management. Kandamby, he argues, should have been given the opportunity of batting at No. 3 against Zimbabwe ahead of Tillakaratne Dilshan, the unfortunate casualty of de Mel's crusade. But Atapattu reasoned instead that, with crucial games approaching against Pakistan, the team's interests would be better served by Dilshan being in top form. Dilshan's good touch in the final, when he scored 39 precious runs at a good rate, vindicate that decision.

de Mel alludes to Australia's policy of rotating their players, a strategy that he wants Sri Lanka to emulate. But a closer inspection of Australia's selection shows that they do not simply throw caps at exciting rookies in one-day internationals or in Tests. When Michael Clarke made his Test debut his talent was so obvious that he had already signed one of the largest endorsement deals in Australian history. He was forced to bide his time and earn his call-up. International caps should not be handed out like toffee apples at a local fair.

While Kandamby has shown flashes of exciting potential, especially for the A team during the past year, the fact remains that his record thus far is decidedly patchy. Kandamby has scored just one century in 70 first-class innings. His first-class average is poor, just 28, and his domestic one-day average is also low. What has he done to demand a run in the international side? Very little, is the unavoidable answer. Atapattu could be easily forgiven for having reservations about playing him, even during dead-rubber games.

In addition, it is also difficult to understand the urgency of blooding talent in the middle order. The middle order is not stacked full of old cronies about to bow out of the game. During the past year they have also been one of the keys to the team's successes. The likes of Atapattu, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Dilshan have gelled into a very strong combination. Why try to tamper with something that does not need fixing?

The key issue faced by the one-day team at the moment is the make-up of the top three and, ironically, it has become increasingly obvious that the selectors' faith in Avishka Gunawardene, a batsman who plays and misses with alarmingly frequency and is technically ill-equipped on all but the most docile pitches, has been misplaced. The jury is still out on Saman Jayantha too, and the selectors' first priority should be to find a suitable partner for Sanath Jayasuriya, not fiddling with the middle order.

To drop Dilshan after a moderately lean run in Test cricket --conveniently forgetting two brilliant hundreds against England and Australia during the last 12 months -- because they want to force Atapattu to blood a youngster, which is what de Mel claims to have done, is not only incredibly unfair but extremely dangerous, not just for the team but also for Dilshan, potentially undermining his confidence at a vital stage of his career, just when he was overcoming the early-bird demons that had held him back when he first arrived. Unless he has committed some grievous behind-the-scenes sin that we are not aware of, he has every right to feel aggrieved.

Sri Lanka are about to embark upon an extremely tough overseas Test series against a resurgent Pakistan team. They will do so now with a weakened batting order and an angry team management. The new player at No. 6, probably Jehan Mubarak, will also face massive pressure knowing that some of his team-mates are upset with the manner of his call-up. But, what is the hurry? Surely Mubarak or Kandamby could have been squeezed in at a more opportune juncture, like, for example, the injury to Ricky Ponting that gifted Clarke his first opportunity in Test cricket.

At the moment, Sri Lanka are a side on the rise. After sitting in the doldrums for over a year - largely because of another selection blunder when Hashan Tillakaratne was appointed captain - the future is looking brighter. Atapattu has forged strong team unity and laid down high standards for his players. They now need support from the selectors and administrators to carry them further. de Mel, though, has rocked the boat. Only time will tell how damaging his committee's actions will be.