Jayasuriya defends

               Ramith is a left-hand batsman who bowls right arm offspin, who can clear the boundaries and can hit hard, Jayasuriya said. "He's someone who can play Twenty20 cricket in the middle order, and you need players like that in this format. We're bringing him on as a batting allrounder who can bowl offspin.I'm not saying you can get picked even if you don't bat well in domestic cricket, I'm saying if you are talented, or you've made runs in the past, we will give those players an opportunity. We will consider any player. They don't just have to be under 23, even 28 to 30-year olds are considered, and we will try to take those players to the place they need to go.Rambukwella, 21, has played club cricket since 2011, but has hit only two half-centuries in 28 innings, across all formats. He has scored 135 runs at an average of 16.87 in List A games and 122 at 17.42 in T20s. He has been more successful with the ball, having taken 10 wickets at an average of 23.60 in List A and eight wickets in T20s at an economy-rate of 7.28. He developed his reputation for big hitting during a successful school cricket career, during which he played for Royal College in Colombo.The selection committee has chosen large squads against Bangladesh, despite the relatively short series, and Jayasuriya said this was done deliberately. The selectors initially picked 22 players for the two-Test series, before trimming the squad to 16 four days before the first Test, and the team for the lone Twenty20 will also be picked from a 16-man squad, which includes five uncapped young players. We don't just bring in players who perform, we also bring in players with talent, Jayasuriya said. "There are plenty of players who haven't performed that well in club matches, but have played well in internationals. I've seen a lot of players like that.