If there’s one department in Sri Lankan cricket that’s truly punching above its weight these days, it’s fast bowling. The team may not boast household names or poster boys plastered across billboards, but peel back the stats, and you’ll see the quicks have been quietly running riot.
Credit where credit’s due – to Chris Silverwood’s guiding hand and the tireless work of the coaches at the High Performance Center. Together, they’ve transformed Sri Lanka’s pace battery from toothless to tenacious.
Not too long ago, English County sides would cast their eyes towards South Africa or the Caribbean to beef up their pace arsenals. But now? The radar has swung towards Sri Lanka. And they’re not just shopping in Colombo; they’re venturing into the cricketing outposts — Katuneriya and Telijjawila — on the hunt for pace.
Kasun Rajitha has been snapped up by Essex as their overseas signing. He’ll be enjoying top-notch facilities and the leafy comforts of Chelmsford – just a hop, skip, and a 30-minute train ride from central London.
Then there’s Vishwa Fernando, who’s jumped from Yorkshire to Warwickshire – both top-tier clubs in Division One.
Asitha Fernando, meanwhile, has headed to Wales, donning Glamorgan colours in a bid to lift them back to the top flight. And he didn’t take long to make his mark, grabbing four wickets in his debut innings against Leicestershire.
Asitha, these days, is the top dog in the Sri Lankan pace kennel. Home or away, his is the first name scribbled on the team sheet. For a man of modest height, he’s deceptively quick off the pitch and effective when the ball is older and softer. He’s no one-trick pony either – it’s not just reverse swing he brings to the table, but a nasty bouncer and the smarts to set up a batter like a seasoned chess player. Watching him work over a batsman is pure theatre.
Vishwa Fernando? He’s the swing bowler Sri Lanka keeps in the locker for away tours. Rarely used on home turf, but when variety is the spice you need, he offers a tempting left-arm angle that can trouble the best.
And then there’s poor Kasun Rajitha. Did you know he hasn’t played a Test match in over 15 months? Nine Tests have come and gone – including tours of England and South Africa – and Kasun’s been left warming the bench. Not because he failed – far from it. His last appearance was in Bangladesh, where he bagged eight wickets and helped seal a series win. But selection’s a cruel game. With Asitha and Lahiru Kumara locked in as the frontline pair and Vishwa providing the left-arm option, Rajitha is the odd man out. Now that Milan Ratnayake has entered the fray offering the all-round package, Rajitha’s chances are few and far between.
He’s not flashy, doesn’t hit 150 clicks, nor does he pepper batters with short stuff. But Rajitha’s the metronome—accurate, relentless, and always in the batsman’s ear. He’s the kind of workhorse who’ll bowl all day, asking questions until the batter slips up.
County Cricket isn’t the most glamorous gig for pacers. There’s no time to put your feet up – just rinse and repeat with barely a net session in between. But it’s also a place where boys become men. Vishwa’s been there, done that. Now, Kasun and Asitha will add to their skillsets in conditions that demand discipline and durability.
While the red-ball merchants have headed to England to swing it around under grey skies, the white-ball firebrands are lighting up India. Matheesha Pathirana, Nuwan Thushara, Dushmantha Chameera and Eshan Malinga are all plying their trade in the IPL, where it’s not seam but sparkle that sells.
With hardly any international cricket on Sri Lanka’s plate right now, it seems we’ve outsourced our pace attack: swing to England and bling to India!
