``No one else in the country has their kind of experience. They are treasures in many ways,'' said Sidath Wettimuny, chairman of the selectors, at a press conference here.

There had been a decline in Sri Lanka's performance in the last eight months, but it was Ranatunga and de Silva who had led the team up a ``steep incline,'' he pointed out. ``Don't forget that it was they who led the side that won the World Cup in 1996,'' he said.

He hoped the two would guide and help new incumbents, Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Jayewardene, do the job better.

Wettimuny warned the changes may not bring benefits overnight. ``This is a transition period. In the short term, there will be a lot of pain, but we hope this will eventually lead to some gain,'' hesaid.

Wettimuny said besides Sri Lanka's poor performance, age and ``long-term thinking'' were also factors in the change in captaincy. ``Everybody seems to be thinking in terms of four year blocks because of the World Cup, and we are also thinking of the next Cup. Age was definitely a factor, though not the only one,'' he said. Ranatunga and de Silva are 35 and 33-years-old respectively.

``Even if we had won the World Cup, we would have made these changes,'' Wettimuny said.

Jayasuriya and Jayewardene have been appointed only for the home series against Australia and the triangular One-day tournament against Australia and India. ``We want to be cautious but our hope is that these appointments will be for a longer term,'' Wettimuny said.

The decision to appoint 22-year-old Jayewardene was taken in order to give enough time to groom him as a future captain, he said.

Wettimuny lauded the two senior cricketers and thanked them for their ``yeoman service'' to Lankan cricket. ``Arjuna and Aravinda willalways be remembered as two of the greatest cricketers this country has produced. Their contribution to cricket has been enormous and I am sure they will continue to serve Sri Lanka, on and off the field, in the years to come. Our sincere thanks to both of them,'' Wettimuny said on behalf of the committee.