A batsman like Mahela Jayawardena who has been as asset to the Sri Lanka team will always be hard to come by and replaced, skipper Angelo Mathews said before his squad left for New Zealand for a two-Test series on Wednesday night.
It was a rare occasion that the Sri Lanka team left for a Test tour without Jayawardena who retired from Test cricket.
But while hoping for the youngsters in the team to perform, Mathews said it was a reassuring factor that veteran Kumar Sangakkara is still around.
It will be Mathews' first tour of New Zealand and also the first for Sri Lanka since 2006.
Meanwhile Sri Lanka coach Marvan Atapattu said that it was very important for the players to stay fit and healthy on the tour of New Zealand as the World Cup follows soon after.
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