Sri Lanka will use the three-match one-day international series against West Indies which opens here on Thursday to kick-start its preparations for the 2011 World Cup. Sri Lanka has made sweeping changes to the squad which drew the preceding two-Test series 1-1 with its host, and seven new players have been included to boost its stocks. “There are a lot of youngsters, and what we are trying to do is develop a team for the next World Cup,” Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene said. Joining the squad for the ODI series are openers Upul Tharanga and Chamara Kapugedera, batsmen Ajantha Mendis, Mahela Udawatte, and Jehan Mubarak, all-rounder Kaushalya Weeraratne, and leg-spinner Malinga Bandara. They have replaced Michael Vandort, Malinda Warnapura, Thilan Samaraweera, Prasanna Jayawardene, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ishara Amerasinge, and Chanaka Welegedara. “Test cricket and ODI cricket are totally different, and you need to totally focus yourself on the ODIs differently,” Jayawardene said. __
