By Saroj Pathirana BBC Sinhala Service

Jayasuriya was passed over for the second Test

Sri Lanka's new chairman of selectors is to join the squad in England after the third Test, with plans to reduce the influence of coach Tom Moody.

Appointed a month ago, Asantha de Mel created confusion when he called Sanath Jayasuriya back from retirement.

"From the ODI series the team will be selected by a resident selector rather than the management," said De Mel.

But he said of Jayasuriya, "I did not insist on his inclusion as I take over my duties from the one-day series."

Jayasuriya, who retired from Test cricket in April, will come to the fore again on 17 June, when Sri Lanka begin a five-match one-day series against England.

Initially left out for the Test portion of the tour, he arrived at Lord's in the middle of the first Test.

Under the current system, though, Moody and tour manager Michael Tissera control team selection and the 36-year-old was passed over for the second match of the series.

"Jayasuriya has given a letter stating his intention to play and I recalled him but he was just another option for the management," De Mel told BBC Sinhala.

There should be an independent enquiry in which Jayasuriya will be allowed to speak Asantha de Mel

Moody preferred to stick with his young batsmen instead of Jayasuriya, who has played 102 Tests and hit 6,613 runs at an average of 41.59.

Jehan Mubarak was dropped after two failures at Lord's but Upul Thangara passed 50 in the second innings and Michael Vandort scored a patient century at Edgbaston.

Former strike bowler De Mel, who took 59 wickets in 17 Tests, is in his second spell as a selector, after being sacked a year ago.

He is keen for the selectors to blend youth with experience.

"Mubarak, for example, is currently not in form so the managers could play Jayasuriya at number five," he continued.

"We need to have a proper mixture of experience and youngsters. And [middle order batsman Chamara] Kapugedara was exposed too soon."

De Mel called for an inquiry into Jayasuriya's original decision to step down from Test cricket, amid rumours he was pushed into retirement by the authorities.

Jayantha Dharmadasa, head of Sri Lanka Cricket's interim committee denied he had played a part.