Sri Lanka's T-20 captain Lasith Malinga said that a team with new players was introduced to the two match T-20 series against Pakistan as a part of a long term plan.

Speaking at a press conference today, he said that there was no doubt on the abilities of both Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne. However, the team has to look forward, and to do so, new players have to be tested, Malinga said. Therefore, those who have performed well in domestic tournaments should be given opportunities, he added.

At a recent TV interview in Pakistan, former Selection Committee Chairman Sanath Jayasuriya said that Chandimal and Thirimanne were removed from the T-20 team due to pressure added by Lasith Malinga.

Jayasuriya also criticized the move to introduce Chamara Kapugedera into the team. Kapugedera has not played an international game in three years, Jayasuriya also pointed out.

Kapugedera has scored 149 runs in domestic T-20 games this year, with an average of 29.8 and a highest score of 69 against Sri Lanka Army.

During the recently concluded ODI series against Pakistan Chandimal scored 180 runs at an average of 60, and Thirimanne scored 213 with an average of 42.6.