Did the selectors err with their championship choices

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Sri Lanka’s 30-member pool for the forthcoming Champions Trophy, scheduled to be held in England this June, has seen the preference of old stages who have not performed consistently at the international level over talented young guns.

Was this a wise decision?

Pix by Amila Gamage

I don’t think these guys should be put back in again. If we don’t give our youngsters a chance at tournaments like the Champions Trophy then they will get tired of trying to make it into the team, and their performance too will suffer. So they should be selected and encouraged. - Achindra Siriwardena (Artist)	No I would not select these players for the squad because there is a lot of young talent coming up and they have to think about the future of Sri Lankan cricket, especially now with time left for development before the world cup. - C. Channa (Private Sector Employee)
I think players with international exposure, even if they haven’t performed consistently, should be taken into the squad, especially in foreign conditions which they may have played. If a team is touring the island, then the team could allow more youngsters to play. - Kalana Marasinghe (Researcher)	Even though I know how to do my job well, if you give me a new vehicle I will take time to learn how to master it. Similarly, cricketers like Kapugedera need time to convert their domestic form into international success. So I think it is a good move to include them in the squad. - Pathmasiri Somachandran (Driver)
I think selecting these players is not a positive move. A lot of them are heading towards the end of their career or have been given their chances right along, so it is better to groom somebody else for the World Cup and the ICC T20 Championship in mind. - Ruknil Wijesuriya (Banker)	You need both youngsters and players who have experience with international cricket. Even though some of them may not have fared brilliantly, they deserve another chance. - Shyam Rathnayake (State Sector Employee)
They should give a chance to newcomers. When Australia or Pakistan drop a player, that player rarely comes back unless he plays really well. But in Sri Lanka this is not the case and the same people keep coming back. - Susith Liyanage (Project Officer)	I think players with international experience should be there because the team should possess a mix of old and new players. New players have no experience, so the ones who have played international matches need to be there to guide them. - K. Weerasinghe (Security Guard)
It’s good that the captaincies have been bestowed to Mathews and Chandimal. But players with international experience need to be there to show the way, and who knows, they might even win matches. - Supun Viduranga (State Sector Employee)