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Lankan quicks to train in India

Much talk, these days, centers around India's inability to produce quality quick bowlers to put teeth into a bowling attack that is arguably the weakest in contemporary cricket.

Amazingly, therefore, none of the players seen as prospects - Ganesh, Robin Singh Junior, Debashish Mohanty to name three names - have been earmarked by the Board of Control for Cricket in India for further training.

However, neighbouring Sri Lanka - who, with some justification, could sit back on its laurels and revel in the fact that in contemporary cricket, it is the side to beat in the one day format - appears to have its head screwed on right in such matters.

Thus, despite a comprehensive win in the Asia Cup quadrangular, and now two back to back wins over India in the best of three ODI series, Arjuna Ranatunga is not yet satisfied with his bowling attack which, he believes, let opposing sides get too many runs for comfort. So he has approached the Pace Bowlers' Committee of the Sri Lankan board. Which, in turn, has agreed to his request that Chaminda Vaas and Ravindra Pushpakumara be sponsored for another training stint at the MRF Pace Academy in Chennai.

Both Vaas and Pushpakumara are, in fact, alumni of the academy. And since Sri Lanka has no international commitments for two months after the series against India comes to an end this Saturday, the Lankan board decided to send the two Test players to Chennai for more training during the off season. At the same time, the committee will also send two promising youngsters, Randi Dilhara Fernando and Ruchira Perreira. All four will leave for Chennai on Sunday, August 24 - the day after the final ODI between India and Lanka is played.