Sri Lanka goes for variety and experience for World Cup

January 8, 2011 (AFP) - Sri Lanka's cricket selectors opted for a blend of variety and experience when naming the final 15-man squad for the 2011 World Cup that runs from February to April, officials said Saturday.







"We looked at the opposition teams and the games we will be playing and we went for variety in our attack, coupled with experience to pick the 15," chief selector Aravinda de Silva told reporters on Saturday.

On Friday, the four-man selection committee announced the final squad, leaving out veterans Sanath Jayasuriya and Chaminda Vaas, who were part of the 1996 World Cup winning team.

Vaas, 36, and Jayasuriya, 41, were earlier named in the provisional squad of 30, giving rise to speculation that one of them would make the final selection.

Currently a ruling party politician, Jayasuriya last played for Sri Lanka in December 2009, while Vaas's last outing for the country was in August 2008.

Both have retired from Test cricket, but play in the shorter formats of the game.

"Leaving Sanath and Vaasy out was a very, very hard decision.

A very emotional decision, it's unfortunate to leave out two great players," said De Silva, who was the vice-captain of Sri Lanka's World Cup winning te