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Ranatunga, de Silva axed from one-day team

Sacked Sri Lanka cricket captain Arjuna Ranatunga and his former deputy Aravinda de Silva were today dropped from the squad for this month's triangular series involving Australia and India, but found a place in the Test series against Australia.

Announcing the squad for the one-day and Test series, the Board of Control of Cricket in Sri Lanka selection committee named the flambuoyant left-hander Sanath Jayasuriya as the captain for the two series, while Mahela Jayawardene was named his deputy.

The selection committee said that while the one-day squad included many youngsters, the Test squad was a mixture of youth and experience.

Committee chairman Sidath Wettimuny said: ''Having two separate squads will make a broader pool of resource available for selection. The idea behind selecting the one-day squad is in terms of long-term prospects, especially for the next World Cup.

"Our intention is to create a new energy, a new enthusiasm and a greater sense of competitiveness among our players.''

The tri-nation one-day series involving India, Australia and Sri Lanka will be played from August 22-31, while the Australia-Sri Lanka Test series will be played from September 9 to October 3.

Ranatunga, the country's longest-serving captain who had led the country to its maiden World Cup victory in 1996, has come under fire after the country's dismal performance in this year's World Cup.

The teams:
One-day: Sanath Jayasuriya (captain), Mahela Jayawardena (vice-captain), Marvan Atapattu, Avishka Gunawardena, Russel Arnold, Indika de Saram, Chamara Silva, Upul Chandana, Nimesh Perera, Muttiah Muralitharan, Suresh Perera, Chaminda Vaas, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Nuwan Zoysa, Pramodaya Wickremasinghe.

Test: Sanath Jayasuriya (captain), Mahela Jayawardena (vice-captain), Marvan Atapattu, Aravinda de Silva, Russel Arnold, Arjuna Ranatunga, Tuwan Dilshan, Ranga Herath, Nimesh Perera, Muttiah Muralitharan, Suresh Perera, Chaminda Vaas, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Nuwan Soysa, Indika Gallage, Prasanna Jayawardene.

UNI