Two decades ago, Sri Lanka were by far the best fielding unit in Asia. At the world stage, Sri Lanka’s fielding was on par with that of South Africa and Australia. Players like Roshan Mahanama, Sanath Jayasuriya, Upul Chandana and Muttiah Muralitharan were on the same league as the likes of Herschelle Gibbs and Ricky Ponting. Jonty Rhodes of course was from a different planet.
One of Tony Greig’s epic comments during Sri Lanka’s Asia Cup triumph in 1997 was, ‘These Sri Lankans are very very good, they catch everything.’ In the final against India, they took five outstanding catches with Murali’s diving effort at long-on to dismiss Mohammad Azharuddin being the best.
So high were the fielding standards that the team often converted half chances and many were the direct hits causing crucial run outs. Sri Lankan teams of yesteryear, knowing that bowling was their weak link, was determined to cut down 20 to 30 runs on the field and that helped them to dominate world cricket.
2017 – Sri Lanka’s worst year in fielding?
Sri Lanka have been well below par in the year 2017 across all formats with just…..
But what has happened to those high standards? When was the last time a Sri Lankan effected a run out through a direct hit? There were warning signs two years ago when the team’s oldest player remained the best fielder. Tillakaratne Dilshan is his name. Generally, the team’s younger players excel in fielding, but Dilshan being Dilshan fielded at cover point, perhaps the most crucial fielding position even at the age of 38. Those who were more than a decade younger than him weren’t simply fit to hold a candle to Dilshan.
Those in responsible positions managing our cricket get worked up when we comment that Sri Lanka has the worst fielding side in the world. The bitter truth is that teams that are ranked below us like Zimbabwe and Afghanistan possess better fielding units. Needless to say that Zimbabwe beat Sri Lanka in an ODI series last year in our den and thankfully we will not be playing any bilateral series soon against Afghanistan.
Often we hear excuses like that having too many wicketkeepers in the side is preventing us from being a good fielding side. Given our painful defeats in recent times, it is time to bite the bullet and accept that much work needs to be done in this vital area.
Take last year’s Champions Trophy for example. All-rounder Thisara Perera dropped a dolly off Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed at mid-on in the virtual quarter-final and Sri Lanka were knocked out of the competition. Pakistan went onto win the title and Sarfraz tongue in cheek told reporters, ‘I will remember that dropped catch for the rest of my life and Thisara will remember it for the rest of his life.’
Three months prior to that, Upul Tharanga dropped Shakib Al Hasan in the deep before he had got to double figures and he went onto score a match winning hundred as Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka in a Test match for the first time at the P. Sara Oval.
It is true that our bowlers’ inability to create another opportunity is of grave concern more than a dropped catch, but the fact remains that a better fielding unit can do so much difference.
During the Galle Test against India last year, when Asela Gunaratne was injured, a schoolboy from St. Aloysious College, Galle was brought in as 12th man on the recommendation of Fast Bowling coach Chaminda Vaas. The 18-year-old Ashen Bandara was a breath of fresh air as he dived around making the world to take note.
Sri Lanka suffered a heavy 304 run defeat in that Test and young Bandara’s fielding was one of the few positives for Sri Lanka.
Interim Head Coach Nic Pothas had high praise for young Bandara. “If you talk to Ashen Bandara’s team-mates, he apparently throws a tennis ball at school during the breaks and chases it. His commitment is amazing. That’s the reason Ashen is a good fielder,” Pothas told journalists.
Sadly, we have heard very little about young Ashen from thereon. Given our fielding woes, Ashen should have been fast tracked into the ongoing Inter-Provincial one-day tournament.
Upul Chandana, one of the finest fielders produced by the country has done quite a bit of work to raise the fielding standards of Sri Lanka’s Under-19 side. Why his services are not made use by the senior side is beyond our comprehension.
The importance of good fielding in Cricket
As the Sri Lankan Team lost a few matches due to poor fielding in the recent past…….
Currently, if you watch Sri Lanka train, the team dedicates more time to play football than the time spent on fine tuning fielding skills. Sadly, some senior Sri Lankan cricketers avoid fielding drills like the plague.
In a bid to put up a good campaign at next year’s World Cup, the team management seems to be tapping into the vast knowledge of some of the finest professionals in the world. That certainly is a step in the right direction. However, little has been done to raise the fielding standards. The least they could do is to put Upul Chandana in-charge of Sri Lanka’s fielding.
Chandana’s running out of Alec Stewart at The Oval in 1998 remains fresh in the memories of fans still. If not for that direct hit, there were two results possible in what turned out to be a historic Test match for Sri Lanka two decades ago. Either Murali would have gone onto take all ten wickets in England’s second innings or Stewart would have saved the game for England. Chandana in that game by the way was 12th man. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to borrow a leaf out of Arjuna’s book and carry Ashen Bandara as the 12th man whenever possible. Like Chandana, the 19-year-old is also a decent leg-spinner.
