Long overseas tours always have multiple underlying narratives that capture the imagination of the casual cricket fan. The rekindling of old rivalries and the possibility of new ones emerging; records on the cusp of being broken; the last chance for old hands to make a statement, and the first opportunity for a rookie to establish himself among the elite; seldom is cricket just about the final scorecard.
The upcoming tour of Sri Lanka in England is no different, as it promises to deliver a lot of intriguing storylines both on and off the field.
For many people in the cricketing world, this series will be mostly about England: England is the team that was recently humiliated Down Under in the Ashes. England lost their best spin bowler and one of their best batsmen halfway through that mauling. England decided to get rid of their most gifted batsman. England is the team with a brand new coaching staff, and the beginning of their self proclaimed “New Era”. All eyes will certainly be on England.
What of the visitors? World T20 Champions they may be, but the longest form of the game is a very different kettle of fish. This will be Sri Lanka’s first tour of England involving Test matches in three years. It is their first Test tour outside the subcontinent since January 2013. The amount of Test matches that Sri Lanka play has been criticized by many in the past couple of years, but this tour will mark the beginning of a number of Test series that are scheduled this year for the Sri Lankans. Many (including, I suspect England) see this series as a way for the “New Era” of English cricket – led by Peter Moores – to ease their way into things before the highlight of the English summer: England vs. India. As far as the Test series goes, the statistics back this sentiment: the Lankans have only won two of the thirteen Test matches played on British soil. It is an unenviable record, and the visitors will certainly be treating this tour as one of their most important assignments this year. Indeed, much preparation has been put in building up to this tour, with numerous strategies being devised to help the players familiarize themselves with conditions. None of which involved the man who coached them for the last three months sitting in the England dressing room when the first ball is bowled.
The recruitment of Paul Farbrace by the ECB has caused much controversy among the pundits and the fans. Few fault Farbrace for taking up a rare chance to coach his native country, at a much higher salary. Any fingers pointed are generally at the ECB for taking advantage of a financially inferior board, just months after assigning itself greater powers as a guardian of cricket. From a Lankan standpoint, it is no doubt a significant blow. No matter how relevant Farbrace was in the recent world cup victory, the fact remains that he will have significant insight on the individual kinks and weaknesses of the Sri Lankans. The likes of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene won’t be as effected by this, but for younger, less developed batsmen this could be a significant problem when facing up to the likes of Stuart Broad and James Anderson. The move also put a stop to plans of sending a few players to England early, in order to acclimatize themselves with the conditions. Then there is of course, the problem of not having a national coach on a very important overseas tour.
Sri Lanka has reacted to the problems as best they could. A short limited overs tour of Ireland was anyway scheduled, along with a few games against English County sides. Marvan Atapattu has been appointed as interim head coach, while the Board has also recruited the services of former Surrey coach Chris Adams as consultant for the tour. How beneficial this move will be remains to be seen, but given the circumstances, Sri Lanka have done all they can to give themselves the best possible chance. The onus is now on the players to prove their mettle out in the middle.
The limited overs leg which kicks off the tour will have the two sides on more even footing. It is no secret that Sri Lanka excels far more in the shorter format of the game, and while they will still have to respond well to the conditions, they possess the capability to ensure that Moore’s tenure as coach starts off on a sour note. There will be extra focus on Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne. The former was relived of all his leadership duties in an attempt to help him concentrate on his batting, which has been dismal in the recent past. Thirimanne on the other hand, has been appointed Vice Captain across all three formats, with selectors and seniors all praising his temperament and ability to handle pressure. Whether he maintains these traits with the added responsibility remains to be seen, but Lankan fans will be hoping that he doesn’t follow the route of his predecessor.
For all his struggles in limited overs cricket, Chandimal still maintains an average of 51 in Test cricket. His average away from home is even better, rising up to 57. He will be expected to make significant contributions in the swinging conditions presented in England. It will also be a strong test of the new opening combination of Thirimanne and Kaushal Silva, as they will be tasked with seeing off a new ball that can be expected to move about prodigiously. Sri Lanka’s pace attack has always been considered their weakest link, but in pace friendly conditions, the likes of Shaminda Eranga and Nuwan Pradeep will have to step up and deliver. They will be mentored by Chaminda Vaas, who has a wealth of experience in England, and will be crucial for Sri Lanka’s chances of taking 20 wickets in a game.
Sri Lanka will have to take a backseat in this tour as far as media attention goes. All eyes will be on England, and the onus will be on the English to deliver a strong performance. Perhaps this will suit the Sri Lankans. The players are no strangers to upheaval off the field, and have conditioned themselves to block such incidents out. A strong showing in this series will be strived for, and will be a very noteworthy achievement should it come to pass. Numerous storylines may unfold in the lead up to the first game of the tour, but when the time comes for the first ball of the series to be bowled, the focus will be solely on 22 men and the cricket.
Sri Lanka play 2 ODIs against Ireland before playing 1 T20, 5 ODIs and 2 Tests against England.
