COLOMBO: Sri Lanka picked veterans Sanath Jayasuriya and Chaminda Vaas in a preliminary squad for next year’s World Cup.Sri Lanka Cricket released a list of 29 players Monday, of which 15 will be selected for the final squad.

Jayasuriya’s 20-year international career looked to be over after a poor World Twenty20 competition earlier this year, in which the left-hander scored 15 runs in six matches.

The setback drew wide criticism from cricket fans but the batsman, who is also a ruling party lawmaker, vowed to return to play at the World Cup.

Jayasuriya, who has scored 13,428 runs in 444 one-day internationals, played his last match nearly a year ago.

Vaas, a left-arm seam bowler, has not played an ODI in nearly 30 months.