National Rugby Selection Committee Chairman Sudath Sampath has officially written to Director General (DG) of Sports Shemal Fernando to coordinate matters for the committee to select the Sri Lanka squad for the upcoming Asia Rugby Division 1 match against Malaysia.
Fernando currently functions as the Competent Authority (CA) for Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) following its dissolution by former Sports Minister Harin Fernando in May last year.
Speaking to The Sunday Morning Sports, the former Sri Lanka scrum-half said that, as time was fast running out, they had requested the Sports Ministry via SLR’s point of contact Nalin De Silva to resolve its legal issues linked to SLR, paving the way for the selectors to choose a strong squad to compete in the one-off match.
Sampath said that the match, which was to be played in Malaysia, would likely take place in the fourth week of April and expressed optimism in selecting a squad laden with experience and youth for the game.
He added that most of the players who turned out for the national team during last year’s triumphant campaign against India, Qatar, and Kazakhstan in Colombo would presumably make up the squad, but with the infusion of a few young players.
Sampath named Shahid Zumri of Kandy SC and Pasindu Bandara of CH & FC as two youngsters who would need to be exposed to international rugby in the 15-a-side game, along with a few other youngsters, as their gifted skills warranted it.
The former Police SC rugby star added that as selectors, they had been keeping close tabs of player performances in the ongoing Mastercard Inter-Club League Rugby Tournament and said they would do likewise with the Clifford Cup Knockout Tournament ahead of choosing the final squad.
He was of the view that before the end of the Inter-Club Knockout Tournament, they would need to finalise the squad for the clash against Malaysia as the match between the 40th-ranked visitors and their 50th-ranked hosts was due to kick off soon after the end of the Clifford Cup.
Besides Sampath, the four-member National Rugby Selection Committee also consists of former national caps Rajeev Ganapathy, Duminda de Silva, and Alex Nishantha Chanaka.
(JK)