The next few days will be crucial for Sri Lankan cricket as at Maitland Place, the administrators and coaching staff will sit down to discuss the national cricket team’s horrendous performance in the Asia Cup. Those responsible need to make some tough choices moving forward after the team put up their worst show in the history of Asia Cup.
Rex Clementine in Dubai
One of the key points that will be discussed is whether Angelo Mathews should take the team through to the World Cup. Unable to bowl, unable to field, unable to run between the wickets, Mathews has failed to lead the side from the front and his captaincy has been uninspiring; no doubt has a lot of questions to answer. When your captain is only managing himself without giving all that he has got, that is a serious concern.
Dinesh Chandimal has made a significant change leading the Test side and could make a difference captaining the ODI outfit as well. However, with his excesses in the Caribbean, Chandimal didn’t cover himself in glory during the ball-tampering controversy. It was a bitter blow to the country’s reputation. The decision at the hands of authorities is whether Chandimal can make a difference. He certainly captained the Test side well but showcased immaturity during the ball-tampering episode refusing to take the team to the field.
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The future of Upul Tharanga will also be discussed and you get the feeling that both Mathews and Tharanga are better off playing the longer format of the game with young blood replacing the old guard in limited overs cricket. It will be a big call to make with the World Cup nine months away.
Fellow left-handed opener, Dimuth Karunaratne needs to be given the nod. People have issues with Dimuth’s strike rate and true Sri Lanka might struggle to challenge top-ranked opponents like England, India and South Africa, but hey, at least the team will not get bowled out for 150 inside 35 overs against teams like Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
Winning the 2019 World Cup looks out of the equation. At least the team could strive to end within the top four.
Given Dimuth’s skill to bat through 40 overs, Sri Lanka are in safe hands, you would assume.
One of the brightest prospects to emerge during Sri Lanka’s tour of India last year was Sadeera Samarawickrama. Not that he made heaps of runs during the tour but his attitude impressed all who watched him including former Indian great VVS Laxman. It is the attitude that is very much lacking at present; the attitude to win, to stick it out, to attack the work and to toil hard to sharpen skills.
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Fielding is another area that Sri Lanka have to put the foot down and say we seek genuine improvement in this area. It has been an area that they have neglected for too long and as a result, have suffered the consequences. Anyone below par should not be allowed on the park.
During their heydays, the Sri Lankan fielding was top class. In the last ten years, the likes of Trevor Penny and Paul Farbrace did quite a bit of work to maintain top class fielding standards. Least said about the current team’s fielding the better as dropped catches and misfields have cost them dearly.
Time has come to hire someone with a proven track record in helping teams raise fielding standards in a bid to come out of the current mess.
Pakistan was never a side that had a reputation as a good fielding outfit. But since taking over as Head Coach Mickey Arthur was keen on addressing the issue and he brought in the services of Steve Rixon and at the moment they look a sharp fielding outfit.
Fitness is another area that Pakistan have addressed and look at how young Pakistani batsmen convert twos into threes with excellent running between the wickets. You would struggle to remember the last time the Sri Lankan batsmen managed to run three or forced a run out through a direct hit.
Indiscipline also has crept into the team with some players repeatedly making headlines due to misconduct. If the team needs to move forward some harsh decisions need, instead of handling them with kid gloves.
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This is a crucial juncture for Sri Lankan cricket. The improvement of some of the smaller nations like Afghanistan, Ireland and Hong Kong have made should send some serious warnings to SLC. With the Champions Trophy now restricted to eight teams, there is a good chance that Sri Lanka will not make the cut for the next event in 2021. The World Cup too is now restricted to ten teams and Sri Lanka faces the danger of getting knocked out from the 2023 edition of cricket’s showpiece event.
When young nations have made rapid progress, we Sri Lankans are still basking in past glory. Unless SLC bites the bullet and addresses the burning issues facing our cricket, the sport will keep hitting new lows. Let the Asia Cup be a good wake up call for all and sundry.
