In his first media interaction after being appointed captain, Kusal Janith Perera told us that under him, Sri Lanka will be playing fearless cricket. In his first two assignments in Dhaka and UK, he’s failed to walk the talk.
What Sri Lanka have exhibited over the last two months is one of the most boring, lethargic and meaningless cricket that you will ever see. There was a game in Cardiff where Sri Lanka failed to find the boundary in the Power Play. That was the biggest insult for a cricket nation that reinvented how white ball cricket should be played; throwing the kitchen sink during the Power Plays come what may and then consolidate.
Losing is part of the game, but what hurts is losing in this fashion. Another 3-0 whitewash looms large and if that happens, tenth ranked Afghanistan will be breathing down Sri Lanka’s neck. Already, the Afghans are making impressive progress in T20 cricket and they are in fact ranked above Sri Lanka.
When Sri Lanka Cricket announced that they were going to launch a youth policy with the white ball teams, the idea was not frowned upon. But the selectors’ choice for captain was puzzling. KJP is one of the nicest guys in cricket but he is also an introvert and not the ideal candidate for captaincy.
Usually, SLC grooms leaders. Starting from Arjuna Ranatunga, we have had Mahela Jayawardene and then Angelo Mathews, who were earmarked as future leaders a long time ahead and were given constant exposure. Ultimately when they got the job, they had long reigns as captain. The same could not be said of KJP.
KJP did not captain Royal College. He was deputy to Yasitha Abeykoon in 2009, a year in which Royal enjoyed unprecedented success. That season, Royal were unbeaten and they recorded wins over both Ananda and Nalanda, the first time it had happened since 1964.
KJP then joined Colts with whom he has remained for 12 years now. He succeeded Angelo Mathews as captain in the club but how many matches has he played since then? Two, maybe three! Then of course there was the Lanka Premier League which most of us watched as the tournament was televised. KJP’s leadership skills were never inspiring as Kandy Tuskers made a sorry exit from the campaign.
Into the bargain, KJP has got too much on his plate as of now. He is leading the side, he is opening the batting and he is keeping wickets. His keeping has never been inspiring and given his fragile body with a series of hamstring injuries, it’s just a matter of time until he breaks down.
This is not to suggest that we should go one reverse gear and get rid of him as captain. Now that he has been put there, he needs to be given more time to develop a young side. We have a notorious history of changing captains and coaches after two poor series. But when appointing leaders surely we can do our home work much better than this.
The selectors’ argument that KJP was the only guy who could warrant a place in the side was so amateur in thinking. Have you heard of someone called Mike Brearley? His book ‘The art of Captaincy’ is a must read for anyone who aspires to be a leader in a sports team.
Brearley succeeded Ian Botham with England’s Ashes campaign in disarray in 1981. He was just an ordinary First Class cricketer and averaged 22 in 39 Tests and never scored a hundred. But with double degrees from Cambridge, he was an excellent reader of minds and was a very good choice for captain. England after a disastrous start went onto win the 1981 Ashes, known as ‘Botham’s Ashes’. Brearley not only made sure that there was no bitterness in Botham after being replaced as captain but got the most from him as well.
We don’t have to go that far. Let’s remember what happened in 2003 after hosts South Africa were knocked out of the World Cup in the first round. Shaun Pollock was sacked as captain and whom did Haroon Lorgat choose as skipper? He did not say that Gary Kirsten, Jacques Kallis or Mark Boucher are the guys who are sure of a place in the side and hand the reins to one of them. Instead, he appointed a 22-year-old rookie by the name of Graeme Smith. The rest as they say is history.
Now that KJP has got a taste of leading the side at the international level, he has to be more proactive and practical. There’s no point playing a Test match player in your T-20 team that too during the Power Play. Poor Oshada Fernando’s confidence must be shattered at the moment.
KJP also has to give away the wicket keeping gloves to someone else. Now that there’s no Dickwella, he will do well to bargain for Sadeera Samarawickrama, who has a safe pair of hands, gives some excitement during Power Plays and of course has hundred percent commitment.
More importantly, KJP has to convince everyone else that with performances like this, they are in no position to bargain for better pay. Unless the contracts are signed we are going to see several fresh faces.
*Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of ThePapare.com.
