Sri Lanka’s journey in the Under 19 World Cup came to an end at the hands of India, in the Semi-finals held yesterday. Here’s a look back at Sri Lanka’s progress throughout the tournament.
The young Lankans got off to an explosive start in their first game against Canada. The much hyped pair of Charith Asalanka and Sammu Ashan top scored while the wickets were shared around by the bowlers. In Sri Lanka’s second game, the Lankans were pushed hard by the ever improving Afghans. Charith Asalanka was again the top scorer while an enterprising innings from Avishka Fernando was cut short by a run-out. Sri Lankan youngsters were eventually bowled out for less than two hundred. Sri Lanka’s blushes were saved by the bowlers who put on a great display, the ambidextrous Kamindu Mendis picking up three wickets.
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In the third game, the Lankan lads, already having qualified for the next round, were beaten by Pakistan. After having bowled Pakistan out for a modest total, the Lankans lost wickets at regular intervals to lose a game they should have won easily. The performance in this game should have sent alarm bells ringing to the coaching staff of the Lankan team, especially when considering the way some of the batsmen went about constructing an innings. In the quarter finals the Lankan spinners completely out smarted the hapless English batsmen. Avishka Fernando shone with the bat, with a well compiled 95 as the Lankans chased down the English target easily.
Going into their semi-final against India, who are arguably the best under 19 team in the world, the Lankans were full of confidence after their efforts against England. The captain Charith Asalanka won an important toss on a wicket that assisted fast bowlers and the Lankan fast bowlers were impressive, troubling the Indian opening pair and eventually dismissing them. Then the Lankan skipper made a tactical error, bringing on the spinners too early, allowing Sarfaraz Khan and Anmolpreet Singh to settle in and build a foundation for a charge in the latter overs. After the Indians made 267, it was always going to be tough for the Lankan batsmen to chase it down, considering the form of the batting unit and the bowling talents of the young Indians.
Looking at where the Lankans stand in comparison with the rest of the Under 19’s of the rest of the world, it is imperative that we improve in the batting department. For all the hype that surrounded the batsmenship of Sammu Ashan and others, the Lankans failed to deliver on the big occasions. Sri Lanka lost both their games against their South Asian counterparts India and Pakistan, which should be an eye opener as to where they stand in the pecking order. The in game decision making of the batsmen in both games was poor. Most of the top order batsmen were too cautious in both games, relying on a mixture of defense and big shots rather than rotating the strike and building partnerships. The Safaraz and Singh partnership, which took the game away from the Lankans in the semi-final, should be a good example for the young Lankan batsmen to follow. In comparison to the batsmen, the Lankan bowling was really impressive, with the bowlers operating well according to conditions and match situations. The highlight of the tournament for the bowlers was face saving performance against Afghanistan.
Players to lookout for:
Avishka Fernando, the right handed batsman, seems to have the technique to keep the good balls out and the power to play the big shots when necessary.
Wasindu Hasaranga’s leg breaks were hard to get hold of for the opposition batsmen and there is a lot of potential in the youngster to be a very good limited overs player.
