We must stick to what we have now - Atapattu

As the cricketing fraternity remains to be in disbelief after the chaotic Asia Cup final against India last week, the focus now shifts on to the ICC World Cup. In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Times former national captain and head coach Marvan Atapattu summed up his thoughts on the Asia Cup, the Sri Lanka team and the potential at the upcoming World Cup.

Your initial reactions when the Sri Lanka squad announced for Asia Cup?

Since some of our bowlers were unavailable due to injuries, the selectors didn’t have a choice. But at the same time we will have to wait and see till they announce the World Cup squad to see how many changes will be made. If they bring in more than three players who did not participate at the Asia Cup, it’s not going to do well for the team and for the confidence of the players.

The purpose of having LPL prior to Asia Cup and World Cup?

I think LPL is a good tournament, where you get to see a lot of talent playing under pressure. We have seen it in other leagues around the world. Something similar to that gives us the opportunity to showcase our talents. More importantly share experiences among foreign players. Having the Asia Cup before the World Cup is very good because Asia Cup is also a competition with high intensity. But the management and the selectors must manage the workload of the players who are injury prone and make sure that they are available for the World Cup.

There were few similarities between last year’s and this year’s editions, having to pick a depleted squad due to injuries to frontline bowlers, but managed to qualify for the final both occasions. How do you assess this achievement?

It is remarkable to say the least. It’s not only the injuries but also the amount of experience in this team is comparatively low, compared to some other top teams in the world. For Sri Lanka to come to the final for two consecutive years is something that we should be very proud of.

Do you agree with the statement that it was a successful tournament overshadowed by a chaotic final?

Yes, it was, but I am not happy with the rule changes that happened in the middle of the competition. As a team we always look at the rules to plan out our game plans to have a successful tournament. The arrangement of a reserve day for the India-Pakistan encounter in the middle of the tournament was not the right thing to do. Despite the weather being unkind there were some good cricket that was played.

Do you think that we have a problem in the quality of Sri Lankan pitches?

I think we do have problems with pitches, but that is not the reason we got out for 50 runs in the final. The only thing that I can say is, in 50-over cricket you need a wicket that plays consistently for 100 overs. If the pitch is batting, seaming or spinning, the pitch should have that particular condition throughout the match. I don’t think the ground staff is trained properly to produce good wickets. That is why the ICC curator inspects and make sure the pitches are consistent before a major tournament. We don’t have qualified curators. we have people who have done agricultural degrees. Hence we need to get them trained by people who are qualified to make pitches. That is an area where Sri Lanka Cricket will have to work on when they host major tournaments in years to come.

As the final was played on home soil, do you think we were under pressure to perform?

Well! If you can’t take pressure then I think cricket is not the sport for you. At this level if somebody says that, then that player should hang up his boots. It is quite embarrassing to get out for 50 runs. This can happen once in a blue moon. I had experienced this situation in the year 2000 in Sharjah where we got India bowled out for 54 runs. When Sri Lanka got out for 43 in South Africa I was the batting coach, but the concerning fact is that when you struggle against a stronger opposition then there is a story. When you get on to the big stage you have to be consistent. If batting fails more often there is something that the players can’t hide away from.

What do you think about the public outcry following the Asia Cup final?

I feel sorry for them. But it is very commendable to see the cricket loving public coming to watch matches despite tickets being expensive. Especially in the final, they didn’t make a fuss. They thought it as a one-off game. A lot of them remembered how Sri Lanka bowled out India for 54 at Sharjah. I’m pleased about the behavior of the crowd.

What about other teams that participated in the Asia Cup?

India looks formidable but I think they have got too many options. I have seen them crumble when it comes to important matches. People say that it is a good headache to have a lot of options, but I don’t think so. One thing Sri Lanka has done well is that, in major tournaments we don’t change the team. Having too many options can be India’s downfall. Pakistan rely on their fast bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf too much and the two batters on the top. It’s too much pressure on Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam. At the same time I’m impressed with Bangladesh, with the attitude they bring on to the field. In sub-continental conditions Bangladesh is a formidable team. Especially their captain Shakib Al

How do you analyse Sri Lanka’s batting during this tournament?

When we are in the comfort zone, we are quite good at winning matches. But once we are put under pressure, we don’t have the mix of seniors and juniors at the moment. We have a bunch of players who have played only a certain amount of matches. Most of the frontline batters have played fewer than 50 ODIs. When you don’t have senior players, the team doesn’t have the mental capacity to deal with pressure situations. There were few instances where players like Charith Asalanka played excellently.

That’s a question that every batter needs to ask from themselves. According to me, it is because the batters are not decisive and we don’t have a pattern and a brand that we play. That means you need to have a plan, a blueprint in what you want to do. We must select the players according to the plan you have prepared. We did that in the past and we were successful. There has to be an identity or a tag to each player. At present all the players are in the same mold. This simply happened with the introduction of the youth policy in 2021. It is the same as Sri Lanka going organic overnight. It is not the age but the performances that matter.You need to bat with seniors to learn things quickly, because we believe in our eyes, not our ears. There are foreigners as coaches, trainers, physiotherapists and managers in SLC, but have we sorted out issues. We have so many injuries. This shows they have not done their job properly. There should be a collective decision taken to solve this prolong problem.

Are you hoping to come back to the national set-up as a coach?

No. I don’t have any intention to come and work with Sri Lanka Cricket. People will think that I’m greedy for the position, but these are my views regarding the state of Sri Lanka cricket at present. I will never be involved with Sri Lanka Cricket.

In 2023 Sri Lanka played 22 ODIs, winning 14 matches. But the concerning factor is our bowlers who bailed us out during our record 13-match winning streak. Your thoughts?

The major decline with the bat is because there is no nurturing of youngsters within the group. We don’t put our batsmen in the deep end. We keep on changing the batting lineup. All of a sudden, in major tournaments, when you don’t have the luxuries of changing or don’t have players available, we are being tested.

Dasun Shanaka’s role as a player has been an area of concern for a reasonable period. In 2023 he averaged just 16.12 with the bat scoring 256 runs in 22 matches, he is also reluctant to bowl. What can be the reasons for his struggles?

A captain gets selected after you select the XI. The captain should fall into a category of batsman, bowler, all-rounder or a wicketkeeper. They don’t come in just because they are good decision makers. There is no place for Mike Brearleys in modern day cricket. I know Dasun Shanaka’s capabilities and potential. But exhibiting it under pressure is what matters. If you can’t exhibit it under pressure consistently, you don’t deserve a place in the team. I don’t see the consistency from him, which is needed for the team. So, regarding the World Cup either he should be the captain or he should be out of the system. I think the selectors missed the trick by keeping Dasun as captain for this long.

Were we too dependent on our bowling attack during the Asia Cup, and why?

Yes we were. Because we think Maheesh Theekshana can bowl in the first 10, during the middle overs and the latter part and give us wickets and stop runs. But when he was not there, we ran out of options. In 50-over cricket you can’t depend on Matheesha Pathirana to bowl 10 overs especially at the start of the innings. I think he has to learn how to bowl at different stages of the innings. He has not got that experience in 50-over cricket as yet and has a long way to go. Then we got Kasun Rajitha and Pramod Madushan. During the latter part of Asia Cup the selectors seemed to prefer Madushan ahead of Rajitha. Unless Rajitha is injured there is no way that he can stay away from the game. I think, after the selectors pick the squad, they should give the freedom to the captain and the coach to select the final XI for the entire tournament.

Dimuth Karunaratne was recalled to the ODI team after testing other opening combina tions for two years. Does that serve any purpose?

Dimuth is a Test player. He got tremendous potential and temperament. If he is to be in the ODI line-up, he needs to be given a specific role. He is not a big hitter, I think it’s very hard for him to come and adjust and to play that role the team expects from him. I liked to see him in the qualifiers, because he brought in much needed experience to the team. Out of the 15, Dimuth is our extra batsman. The extra batsman should be able to bat anywhere from one to six. So we need to find a player who is suitable for the position. For me Dimuth is out of the World Cup.

Do we have a settled top order?

At the moment we do not. But the potential of all six batsmen are very good. It is just the uncertainty and not being decisive have hit them very hard. So you need to keep on investing on these batters for a longer period of time. Kusal Janith’s career has been hampered by injuries and incon sistency with the bat. How do

you see his future?

Kusal Janith is predominantly an opening batter who can take away the game very quickly from the opposition. I think he needs to be given the freedom and have the seventh batter in our team. To get the best out of him he should open the inning.

Your thoughts on young Dunith Wellalage?

He is at the top of his game. Only thing is, we have to handle with care. I see a bright future ahead of him. His five wickets haul against India shows his promising potential.

Even though Sri Lanka went on to win four out of six matches, they weren't convincing, why can’t we achieve that?

Do you think we have a settled squad towards the World Cup?

I think this will be the best. But players like Avishka Fernando, if he is fit, Nuwanidu Fernando, another contender, should be observed closely by the selectors.

Injuries have hampered the careers of frontline bowlers, Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara and Dilshan Madushanka. Do you think we need to monitor the workloads more frequently considering the amount of cricket being played throughout the year?

Too much emphasis is given to the word. It has created so many jobs for trainers and bowling coaches. A bowler must master a delivery by practicing to bowling 30 times daily. Sri Lanka hired all these foreign coaches. How come they haven’t managed this until now? During a tournament, any one can get injured. But you can’t expect your premier fast bowlers to go down before a tournament. We have found ourselves in a mess.

What steps should Sri Lanka follow to have a successful World Cup?

I think, we have already missed a couple of tricks. Now we have to stick on to what we have. Sri Lanka will have to make a plan and make sure that they execute it on the field.

According to you, what should be the team combination for the World Cup?

If Kusal Janith opens, you need to have seven batters and give him the freedom. But if Theekshana is not fit, you can’t have Pathirana as your second fast bowler.

Who are the contenders to win the World Cup this time?

Given the current form, England has a great chance to defend their title. I like to see Sri Lanka win. When it comes to major tournaments, we have always done well. So it would be a pleasant surprise if this young team go on to win the title. But at the moment I’ll put them in the bottom half of the table. Bangladesh are the dark horses for me in the World Cup.