By Revatha S. Silva

* Selectors justified in ‘Youth Policy’

* Disgruntled seniors look for other options

* Technical Committee member overrules SLC, disrupts offering contracts

Sri Lanka limited-over all-rounder, who was chiefly renowned for his fast-bowling capabilities employing variation of deliveries, announced his retirement from national duty yesterday (31 July).

“I believe the time has come for me to make way for the next generation of players,” Udana said in a statement.

“It is with immense pride and passion, and unfathomable commitment that I have represented and served my country,” he further added.

“Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) wishes Udana, who was a valuable player in Sri Lanka’s white-ball teams, the very best in his future endeavours,” SLC said announcing Udana’s retirement yesterday.

Udana, 33, will continue to play domestic cricket and will also be available for franchise tournaments, including ones such as the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

“Cricket was, is, and always will be my greatest love and I have always given my 100% both on and off the field, respecting and upholding the spirit of cricket and national pride always,” Udana had added.

“However, I believe the time has come for me to retire from international cricket in order to make way for the next generation of players.”

Selectors justified

Udana is the second high-profile retirement among Sri Lanka white-ball ranks after Thisara Perera, who left national duty in May. The senior members of the national squad, in both red and white ball formats, were seen being overlooked by the new panel of selectors under Pramodya Wickramasinghe.

They overlooked seniors such as Dimuth Karunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal, Lahiru Thirimanne, and Nuwan Pradeep across all formats while sending a clear message to others, including Angelo Mathews and Suranga Lakmal, that they are to be played in future purely on merit, not on experience alone.

The markedly improved performance of the young Sri Lanka white-ball team, under Skipper Dasun Shanaka, in the recent India series is only justification of the selectors’ new approach.

Youth vs. seniors

Meanwhile the Cricket Advisory Committee, headed by Aravinda de Silva, introduced a new scheme for annual player contracts where they have clearly disregarded seniority as a plus factor whilst pronouncedly moving into a ‘youth policy’, along with the national selectors, aiming the 2023 ODI World Cup.

Contracts before South Africa series

The new scheme resulted in a deadlock in players signing their annual contracts this year as SLC had been compelled to opt to offer them only tour-by-tour contracts.

Highly-placed SLC sources added last week that one prominent member of the Cricket Advisory Committee is still maintaining a rigid stance not to offer annual contracts to the players this year; a stance that has come for utter dismay of the SLC executive committee.

Anyway, there is speculation that the current national white-ball squad is more likely to sign their annual contracts after negotiating with the Board before the start of the forthcoming South Africa series, which is to begin on 2 September in Colombo.

ISURU UDANA - A QUINTESSENTIAL T20 PLAYER

Isuru Udana was a quintessential T20 player. He began his international career as profit-oriented franchise T20 leagues started to mushroom in the cricket world. In his 12-year career for SL, Udana played only 56 internationals whilst never playing in at least a single Test match. During the same period, though, he played in over 160 T20s representing at least six major franchises in leading leagues of about five countries.

Name: Kande Arachchige Isuru Udana Tillakaratna

Born: 17 February 1988 in Balangoda, down south (age 33 years)

School: D.S. Senanayake College, Colombo

Bowling: Left-arm medium-fast

Batting: Right-handed

Domestic Clubs: NCC, Chilaw Marians CC, and Tamil Union

Tests: (played no Tests)

Sri Lanka Debut: On 8 June 2009 vs. Australia in a T20 World Cup match in Nottingham

First ODI: On 24 July 2012 vs. India at Hambantota

Last ODI: On 18 July 2021 vs. India in Colombo

Last T20I: On 28 July 2021 vs. India in Colombo  

ODIs: 21 matches / 18 wickets at 52.77 / best 3-82 / 237 runs at 16.92 / best 78

T201s: 35 matches / 27 wickets at 33.88 / best 3-11 / 256 runs at 18.28 / best 84 n.o.

T20s: 164 matches / 168 wickets at 25.44 / best 4-31 / 1.061 runs at 15.85 / best 84 n.o.  

T20 Franchises:

* Wayamba United in Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL)

* Colombo Kings in Lanka Premier League (LPL)

* Rajshahi Royals in Bangladesh Premier League (BPL)

* Montreal Tigers in GT20 in Canada

* Paarl Rocks in South Africa’s Mzansi Super League, and

Career Highlights:

* Variety, change of pace, and the slow ball are key weapons in his fast bowling

* Played for SL ‘A’ in 2008 even before starting his 1st Class career

* Made SL debut in the 2009 T20 World Cup where SL became runners-up

* Part of the gold-medal-winning SL cricket team at the 17th Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea in 2014

* In March 2019 against South Africa at Port Elizabeth, Udana and Kasun Rajitha made the highest partnership (58) for the 10th wicket for SL in an ODI

* Same month, during a T20I against South Africa, he broke the world record for the highest individual score (84) batting at No. 8 in a T20I

* In the 2020 IPL auction, he was bought by the Royal Challengers Bangalore for $ 70,000 (approximately Rs. 13 million)