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International Roundup Sri Lanka recalls Kaluwitharana, Zoysa for AustraliaPosted: Tuesday December 10, 2002 6:11 AMCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) -- Romesh Kaluwitharana, the wicketkeeper-batsman, and left-arm fast bowler Nuwan Zoysa have been recalled to the Sri Lanka squad of 15 to play a triangular series in Australia, cricket authorities said Tuesday. Off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, recovering from hernia surgery, has also been named for the one-day series on Dec.17, said a statement by the Sri Lankan cricket board, the sport's governing body in the island nation. Australia and England will be the other teams participating in the tournament. Kaluwitharana, 33, played a key role in Sri Lanka's win in the 1996 World Cup. His last appearance for Sri Lanka was in the NatWest one-day series in England in July. He recently hit five half-centuries in seven matches for his domestic club, the Colts, and had expressed disappointment when he was not included in the provisional list of 30 players. Kaluwitharana's inclusion means that he and Sanath Jayasuriya will be opening the Sri Lankan innings. Both are known for getting their side off to a good start. Kumar Sangakkara will be relegated to the role of a middle-order batsman. Muralitharan, who underwent a hernia operation in Australia last month and was not expected to play until the end of December, was included on the team after cricket selectors on Monday decided he was fit to play. Batsman Aravinda de Silva pulled out of the tournament for personal reasons. Tilan Samaraweera will take De Silva's place in the first three matches. Fast bowler Sujeewa de Silva, 23, is the only uncapped one-day player in the side. Excepting Kaluwitharana and Zoysa, all other players were part of the Sri Lanka team that ended a tour of South Africa last week, losing the one-day series 1-4. Sri Lanka will play four qualifying matches each against Australia and England. The final will be a best-of-three competition. Dravid says contract meeting won't distract playersWELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- Vice captain Rahul Dravid says India won't let a stalemate between the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Indian cricket authorities regarding player contracts distract its preparation for the test series against New Zealand. India faces New Zealand in a two-test series starting Thursday and Dravid, one of five key players involved in a World Cup contract dispute with the ICC, wants to concentrate on the task at hand. Since winning the inaugural series here 3-1 in 1967-68, India has failed to beat New Zealand in five subsequent tours. "This is a very important tour," Dravid told reporters after practice at the Basin Reserve. "We want to concentrate on this match ... we don't want any distraction." Justice Ahmad Ebrahim, a member of the ICC World Cup contract committee and Dave Richardson, ICC general manager, met with Indian administrators and player representative Anil Kumble, but the two parties failed to broker a deal in Calcutta after a four-hour meeting. The two parties will return to negotiating after a 10-day break as top Indian players threaten to refuse signing the participating nations agreements for the 12-nation event in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya. Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, skipper Sourav Ganguly, Virendra Sehwag and Kumble are among high-profile players who oppose a clause in the ICC contract that bans cricketers from endorsing products that compete with tournament sponsors. Dravid declined to comment on the negotiations, saying meetings between the ICC and the Board of Control for Cricket in India would take a natural course. The contract issue flared up in August during India's test tour of England when the players joined fellow cricketers from Australia, South Africa and Sri Lanka in threatening to boycott the ICC Champions' Trophy in Sri Lanka in September. On that occasion, the ICC and the players came to a short-term compromise but the bigger threat of a boycott of cricket's showpiece in Africa looms. Indian players enjoy lucrative sponsorship contracts worth many times their match fees.
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