Sri Lanka cricket will face tough time after seniors retire: Jayasuriya

Colombo: Former captain Sanath Jayasuriya has said Sri Lanka is likely to struggle in international cricket after the retirement of veteran cricketers like Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara.

The Lankans are not having a good time in international cricket since the retirement of their premier bowlers Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas. They have failed to win a Test series for almost two years, before dismantling Pakistan last year at home, reports The Nation. Things are expected to deteriorate for Sri Lanka in the coming years, with their seasoned cricketers, Jayawardene, Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan likely to retire after the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. "These three are fantastic players, so it will be very difficult to straightaway find replacements for such men. I remember, when Arjuna (Ranatunga) and Aravinda went out, everyone was asking how we were going to fill the void," Jayasuriya said. "It took about six months or one year, then slowly Sanga and the others came and we got going," he added. Jayasuriya, however, wants the selectors to show faith in budding youngsters, who can take responsibility in the coming years. "Yes, we lost a few matches, but we needed to give the younger players the experience and the exposure, and the same will be the case in the future. At the same time, I don`t agree with certain selection decisions," he added. ANI