Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal dismantled his technique to relearn the art of off-spin and put himself in line for an international recall with a remodeled action. The late-bloomer emerged as Pakistan's main strike bowler with a dizzying array of tricks in his arsenal until a suspect action brought about a ban in 2014. He was cleared to bowl again a week before last year's World Cup but has struggled to replicate the control that once made him a universally feared spinner. "At 38, I have learnt something that I probably never did in my 15 years as a cricketer," Ajmal told ESPNcricinfo (www.espncricinfo.com). "I had to become a child, like the first time I went into the academy as a 10-year-old." "I will be back, and that day is not far. I have spent a lot of time outside and it hurts me when Pakistan loses." Ajmal said he bowled with weights strapped to his wrist and ankles to iron out kinks in his action, which he blamed on a broken wrist following a bus accident. He has had to sacrifice some bounce and spin, and the occasional delivery can exceed the 15 degree elbow extension limit but Ajmal said he still had enough variation to trouble batsmen. "I will leave cricket with this (new) action. If I am not effective, I will step aside and leave... "The odd ball might have exceeded 20 degrees but I work hard immediately to rectify that. I watch every video of my matches. Ninety-nine per cent of my deliveries are under control." Herath, Malinga return Star spin bowler Rangana Herath returns to the shortest format of cricket after two years as Sri Lanka chose a mix of experience and youth for its 15-member squad for the World Twenty20 starting next month. Herath hasn't played in a Twenty20 international since the final of the last edition of World T20 in 2014. Sri Lanka won the title, defeating India in the final. The squad announced Thursday also includes captain Lasith Malinga and his deputy Angelo Mathews, who because of injuries missed a three-match series against India that ended this week. It also features experienced batsmen Tillakaratne Dilshan, Dinesh Chandimal, Chamara Kapugedera and allrounders Thisara Perera and Sachithra Senanayake. Wicketkeeper batsman Niroshan Dickwella, batsmen Shehan Jayasuriya, Milinda Siriwardana, Dasun Shanaka, fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera and leg spinner Jeffrey Vandersay are relatively inexperienced and play in their first major tournament of their careers. The tournament begins in India on March 8. The squad: Lasith Malinga (Captain), Angelo Mathews (Vice Captain), Dinesh Chandimal, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Niroshan Dickwella, Shehan Jayasuriya, Milinda Siriwardana, Dasun Shanaka, Chamara Kapugedera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dushmantha Chameera, Thisara Perera, Sachithra Senanayake, Rangana Herath and Jeffrey Vandersay. South Africa and England set for WC warm-up England's lengthy tour of South Africa winds up with two Twenty20 Internationals which are effectively a rehearsal ahead of their clash in the World Twenty20 in India next month. It will be the last chance for England to settle on their World Cup combinations ahead of the world event but South Africa will have three more matches in a home series against Australia shortly before they fly to India. The two countries are in the same group in India and meet in Mumbai on March 18.
