Watching the national cricket team training over the last few days has been a breath of fresh air. Chandika Hathurusingha has added new meaning to training and given his meticulous planning, you can expect the team to go only one way.
On Thursday morning, Hathurusingha had his first session with the 23 member preliminary pool that has been selected for the triangular series in Bangladesh. The meeting took place at Sri Lanka Cricket headquarters at Maitland Place and Hathurusingha outlined his expectations from the players and gave out the dos and don’ts .
The short term and long term goals of the team were explained. The players were then urged not to take shortcuts and were reminded of the importance of training. The most important message of them all was to play without the fear of losing.
Having wandered around for six months without real purpose, the Sri Lankan players left the room convinced that better times are ahead of them.
Read More : We’ll soon start playing the Sri Lankan brand of cricket: Hathurusingha
The training session that day was scheduled for 2:00 pm at R. Premadasa Stadium. All players were at the venue by 1:30 pm, everyone had stretched and were ready for training at the scheduled time.
The session itself was spectacular. There were four stations. In the first net, the players had to bat as if they were facing the first 24 balls in a game. In the second net, Batting Coach Tilan Samaraweera was working with the batsmen on playing spin bowling, an overdose of which can be expected when the team tour Bangladesh next month. The third station was meant for fast bowlers where they were doing spot bowling working on their stock delivery.
It was in the fourth station most of the action was taking place as Hathurusingha spent time working with each batsman.
The new Head Coach was manning the bowling machine. There was a tailor-made granite turf to which the balls were pitched. Why the granite turf was preferred was to help the players with their bat speed. Hathurusingha was specifically working on the short ball, elaborating on how it could be used as a boundary ball with shots to mid-wicket and square-leg, depending on where the fielders were placed. The other option off the short ball was the single to mid-on, something essential when you are batting with the tail.
Most coaches tend to generalize things. Stuff like ‘play straight’ and ‘no cross bat shots’ are things coaches harp on. Hathurusingha is quite different. He seems to be letting batsmen play with freedom. He has given the license to be authentic. If Niroshan Dickwella wants to scoop, he will be encouraged to scoop with a few suggestions on how the shot can be played more effectively.
If Kusal Mendis wants to go inside-out to spinners, he will be backed to do that without the fear of failure. You can be assured that there will be a run-fest during the tri-nation series in Bangladesh. Trust your instinct has been the message. There is clarity in each batsman’s role and the fact that each individual is different has been appreciated.
Next week will be even more interesting as players eagerly await the arrival of Dr Phil Johnsy. The Australian psychologist is expected to ask the players how they can become better sportsmen maximizing their skills.
Hathurusingha is unlikely to do any changes to the panel of support staff for his first assignment. But depending on the requirements of the team, he will make recommendations to the board after the Bangladesh tour.
Richard Halsall could be a superb addition to the Sri Lankan set up. Halsall is the same age as Hathurusingha – 49. He played less than a handful of First Class cricket in Zimbabwe, but he is a superb thinker of the game. A Cambridge Blue, Halsall was Assistant Coach to Andy Flower from 2007 to 2013 with the England side before joining Bangladesh when Hathurusingha took over as Head Coach.
Read More : Sri Lanka picks preliminary ODI squad for Bangladesh tour
Halsall’s role with Bangladesh is Fielding Coach and during their recent tour to Sri Lanka, the drills he conducted were spectacular to watch. If Bangladesh don’t elevate Halsall as the Head Coach, you will see him joining Sri Lanka.
In sports, teams shouldn’t peak too early. When Sri Lanka toured India in 2005 under new coach Tom Moody they were hammered. Greg Chappell was India’s coach then and everyone was talking about how India could go onto win the World Cup less than two years away. Yet, in West Indies, India made a first-round exit and Sri Lanka went on to reach the finals. Hathurusingha has arrived just in time to take the team to the next level.
India have peaked too early while the Sri Lankans are yet to produce their best. Exciting times are ahead.
