Historically, Sri Lanka have picked their technically most sound batter to occupy the number three slot in Test match cricket. In the early days there was Roy Dias and then Asanka Gurusinha took over from him. Then came Kumar Sangakkara and for the next decade and half the number three slot was his. But since the nation’s most successful batter retired, there has been no solid number three. Various batters have been tried and discarded.
Number three, some argue, is the crucial slot in the batting order. Sometimes you’ll walk out to bat with the score on 200 for one and sometimes you’ll walk out to face the second ball of the innings. It’s not for the fainthearted.
The whole of this week, the Sri Lankan think tank has been pondering whether to push Kamindu Mendis at number three or let him continue to marvel us where he hit hundreds in each innings last week.
There have been some interesting arguments. Kamindu bats top of the order in domestic cricket. So, why should he not follow suit in Test match cricket? The other side of the coin is that batting at seven is a tedious task. More often than not, you are batting with the tail. It’s a position where a special skill set is required. You’ve got to farm the strike from the tail and show bit of aggression to score your runs. There’s no time for settling in and building an innings. You’ve got to be proactive from ball one. More batters tend to succeed at three because time is at your disposal. Seven is the complete contrast and not many make a living out there.
Eventually, it may have come down to the point that Kamindu has succeeded at seven and why experiment when you are yet to win the series. Fair point. However, it seems that it’s only a matter of time before he’s pushed up there to number three.
But are they going to do it in the next series which is in England? That’d be quite the ask.
All in all, Kamindu has been a welcome addition to the Sri Lankan side. He should never have been axed after scoring a tough half-century on debut against the Aussies. There were plenty of opportunities since then for him to have been given a break, but he was given the cold shoulder. Given his exploits in domestic cricket, he certainly should have got a look in much earlier.
Having said that, he is here to stay and it’s only a matter of time before he goes on to become a multiformat player. The bowling options that he provides makes him an exciting prospect in limited overs cricket and we should see him more in Sri Lankan colours.
Kamindu sticking to number seven means Kusal Mendis survives. He has been under tremendous pressure the whole of this week. However, with Dinesh Chandimal not wanting to take on the keeping gloves, Sri Lanka are left with Hobson’s choice.
There’s Lahiru Udara in the squad and he can keep wickets, but the selectors are unlikely to go on that path.
Unless Mendis makes a big contribution in the second Test against Bangladesh, it’s unlikely he will tour England. Chandimal probably will be given more time to work on his keeping and he will take on the gloves.
One problem that Sri Lanka are facing is that barring Niroshan Dickwella, most of their keepers bat higher in the order in domestic cricket.
Kasun Rajitha bowled so well in the first Test to pick a five-wicket haul in the second innings and career best figures of eight for 112 in Sylhet. He has sadly returned home with a back injury but the good news is that Asitha Fernando is back.
Initially it was thought that Asitha is out of the series but he has recovered from a hamstring injury. He is reported to have come off well in Sri Lanka’s final training session in Chittagong ahead of the second Test and should play ahead of Chamika Gunasekara.
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Asitha has been Sri Lanka’s best bowler in Test match cricket in recent years and his return will excite the team. The good thing about Asitha is that he is a captain’s dream when the ball gets older. He has the ability to reverse swing the old ball to deadly effect and when the wicket gets flatter unsettles the batsman with those accurate bouncers of his. He is developing as one of the finest young bowlers in the game and last time Sri Lana toured Bangladesh, he was instrumental in winning the second Test with a dream spell.
Bangladesh gambled by preparing a pitch that had grass and favoured fast bowling in the first Test. After the ploy backfired, they are unlikely to repeat the mistake. What will Sri Lanka do if a turning pitch is unveiled in Chittagong? Are they going to go with three quicks? Interesting question for the team management to deal with.
