SL president orders inquiry into Jayasuriya omission

Jayasuriya, 36, a veteran of 100 Tests, was dropped after Sri Lanka suffered a humiliating 6-1 loss in a recent one-day series in India.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse on Saturday ordered an inquiry into former captain Sanath Jayasuriya's axing from the Test squad for the ongoing three-match series in India.

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"There were many requests for an investigation over the selections and I have asked sports minister Jeevan Kumaratunga to look into the matter," said Rajapakse.

Jayasuriya, 36, a veteran of 100 Tests, was dropped after Sri Lanka suffered a humiliating 6-1 loss in a recent one-day series in India.

The left-handed opener had problems with both form and fitness and could manage just 85 runs in six outings.

"I have asked to investigate why Jayasuriya was overlooked for the Tests in India," said Rajapakse. "Why did they select him for the one-day series if he was not fully fit ?"

Saman Amarasinghe, a former umpire and currently the chairman of the sports council, was assigned to conduct the inquiry.

Jayasuriya, a key member of the team that won the 1996 World Cup, aggravated a shoulder injury just before the one-dayers in India.

But his omission from the Test squad created a stir in Sri Lanka with former players and enthusiasts arguing that Jayasuriya had recovered sufficiently from the injury and should have been picked for the Tests.