Sri Lanka minus stars for Pakistan encounter

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka will be without some of its star players for the three-match one-day series with Pakistan in Abu Dhabi later this month, a senior official said on Sunday.

The 2007 World Cup runners-up team which will play matches with Pakistan from May 18-22 in Abu Dhabi will be without Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas and Kumar Sangakkara, all key players.

"The three boys will be going to England to play county cricket and we have told the Abu Dhabi organisers that we will be sending the best available team," K. Mathivanan, the secretary of Sri Lanka Cricket, said.

Muralitharan will turn out for Lancashire while Chaminda Vaas and Kumar Sangakkara are to play for Middlesex and Warwickshire respectively.

"They will be leaving for England on May 10," Mathivanan said.

He said Sri Lankan cricket would have a brand new team of selectors in place by next week. Picking the squad for Abu Dhabi would be the last task for the outgoing panel.

Sri Lanka Cricket, which is the governing body of the sport in Sri Lanka, will be recommending a set of names to Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge next week for formal appointment to the national selection panel.

There is speculation that former all-rounder Asantha De Mel will be retained as the chairman of selectors.