May 17, 2007	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 29, 1428

ABU DHABI, May 16: Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene says he would make every effort to win the upcoming One-day International series against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi to give the departing coach Tom Moody an appropriate farewell.

Moody, who guided Sri Lanka to the World Cup final last month, told the Sri Lankan Cricket (SLC) that due to his family and personal commitments he was unable to continue with the job.

Jayawardene emphasised the importance of this (Abu Dhabi) series even though some of the Sri Lankan players are still recovering after the World Cup. He said the team would love to give Moody a fitting farewell as he put a lot of effort for the team and deserves the best.

The team would plan out the strategy on how to play against Pakistan after inspecting the wickets and conditions in Abu Dhabi, the skipper said.

Jayawardene added they would certainly miss the services of their three key players — Muttiah Muralitharan, Kumar Sangakkara and Chaminda Vaas — in Abu Dhabi but added it was encouraging to see a couple of new faces coming into the scene in place of the veterans.

Sri Lanka squad: Mahela Jayawardene (captain), Tillekeratne Dilshan (vice-captain), Sanath Jayasuriya, Dilhara Fernando, Farveez Maharoof, Upul Tharanga, Lasith Malinga, Chamara Silva, Malinga Bandara, Ruchira Perera, Chamara Kapugedera, Kaushal Lokuarachchi, Prasanna Jayawardene, Malinda Warnapura, Ishara Amarasinghe. — Agencies