Identify players for World Cup, support them: Sangakkara
AFTER BEING LET DOWN ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS, THERE’S LITTLE TRUST AMONG FORMER PLAYERS THAT AUTHORITIES ARE GENUINELY INTERESTED IN FIXING CRICKET WOES.
That is alarming.
They have little hope in the 2019 World Cup given their horrendous performances in recent times. The realistic target should be to try and finish among the top four teams in cricket’s showpiece event.
With cricket boards all around the world investing on franchise-based cricket, the nature of white-ball cricket has changed drastically, but Sri Lanka have failed to step up to the mark. The team badly lacks power hitters who could make maximum use of powerplays. Teams these days are regularly touching the 350 mark while Sri Lanka are struggling to post totals in the region of 250.
Their bowlers tend to look to contain the batsmen in limited-overs cricket whereas the order of the day is to pick up wickets. Teams like India, South Africa, Pakistan and England, some of the more successful teams in ODI cricket in recent times, have relied on wrist spinners, but Sri Lanka have refused to go on that path.
Right-arm leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay and Chinaman bowler Lakshan Sandakan have been around for sometime but they have been given little exposure. Vandersay last featured in an ODI in October 2017 while Sandakan has played only 13 ODIs in two years.
In Test cricket, of course, the Sri Lankans are still a strong force. No team had beaten Pakistan in UAE since the gulf region had become their adopted home in 2010. Sri Lanka put an end to that with a sensational 2-0 series win. More recently, they overcame South Africa 2-0. Captain Dinesh Chandimal is ranked eighth and opener Dimuth Karunaratne is ranked seventh in ICC Test rankings. Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath is at seven in the rankings for Test bowlers.
However, Herath is not going to be around for a long time. The upcoming three-match series at home is going to be his swansong. Off-spinner Dilruwan Perera is their second-choice spinner and he is 36. The likes of off-spinner Akila Dananjaya and fast bowler Kasun Rajitha are expected to make an impact in the longer run. The next six months are going to be tough for the Sri Lankan side. After the England series, they will be taking on New Zealand, Australia and South Africa away from home in back-to-back series and these challenges will test them.
Former Test captain Kumar Sangakkara has urged the Sri Lankan team to rethink its strategies moving forward after the team’s failed campaign in the six-nation Asia Cup tournament.
The five-time winners crashed out in the first round after humiliating defeats at the hands of Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
“We need to find out whether we have the right strategy in place. Whether we should change it or stick to it. Results on tours are important, but the larger picture should be the 2019 World Cup. We need to have a settled batting lineup. We need to identify the openers, identify who our number three is going to be and who is going to bat at number six and things like that.
“Those players whom we have identified need to be given an extended run. You need to have specific chats with players explaining what is expected of each of them.”
Some of the changes that Sri Lanka did during the Asia Cup like reversing the roles of Kusal Mendis and Kusal Perera backfired. While Mendis opened the innings, Perera batted at number four. Mendis was dismissed without scoring on both occasions. “The confidence levels drop if they are moved up and down. You need to identify the engine room of the batting lineup from number one to four and others should play around them. With two new balls, your openers are vital. Number three and four are very important as well and they have to shoulder most of the burden in batting. “Then, of course, number five and six, they need to be able to accelerate and, in case if there’s a top order collapse, they should be able to steady the innings. They need to clarify the roles and have an idea what is required of each player,” Sangakkara said.
“Why they have inconsistent results is that they are yet to get settled. They need to build a team culture, a team strategy. They need to persevere with a set of players consistently for the biggest tournament in cricket.”
DUBAI: