Sri Lanka to have full-time paid selector

Sri Lanka Cricket will have a full time paid selector serving in the national selection panel after the 2007 World Cup.

The term of the current selection committee ends on April 30, two days after the World Cup final, and depending on the availability of the members, either the same committee or a changed committee may be appointed for the next 12 months from May 1.

The present selection committee comprises Ashantha de Mel (chairman), Don Anurasiri, Amal Silva and Shabbir Asgerally. "We have decided that from next month we will have a paid selector serving in the panel so that he can devote full time to the job at hand," said Sri Lanka Cricket secretary K Mathivanan.

"We need at least one selector who can spend his time watching matches and attending training sessions. This way at least there is some justification for the players also," Mathivanan said. "Selectors should not always depend on newspaper reports and scores to pick players. They should have first hand knowledge of the players."

Sri Lanka Cricket is already making a monthly payment of Rs. 25,000 per selector (US$ 240 approx) as remuneration and providing them with mobile phones. It is a system that has been in existence for the past two years. However they feel that with their individual jobs sometimes taking precedence over cricket none of the selectors have the time to devote fully to watching the players. In the past four years Sri Lanka Cricket has sent at least one selector on tour with national teams.

"We have not decided on what sort of fee and other benefits we should be paying the selector. It is a matter for the interim committee to decide," said Mathivanan.

Don Anurasiri, the former Sri Lanka left-arm spinner appears to be the most likely choice. Anurasiri, who appeared for his country in 18 Tests and 45 ODIs between 1986 and 1998, has been a member of the selection committee for the past three years and also accompanied teams as manager and tour selector.

Pakistan recently appointed its first paid selection committee when it named former Test cricketer Salahuddin Ahmed as the head replacing Wasim Bari. Former Test cricketers Shafqat Rana and Saleem Jaffar are the other members of the new committee appointed following Pakistan's early exit from the 2007 World Cup.