At first glance there seems to be nothing wrong with Sri Lanka’s batting lineup: Talent, experience and class are abundant, and there is a blend of both young and old.
Unfortunately, from a cricketing perspective, the mature ones are quite old, and the young ones are very immature. This may average out for now, but in a few years time Sri Lanka Cricket may have some serious headaches.
The West Indies series could have been a stepping stone. Devoid of any real meaning in the long run, it could have been the ideal scenario for the young guns to prove their worth; to show that they can handle good oppositions on difficult pitches. Two weeks later, the only conclusion that can be drawn is that they are not yet ready to take over the mantle.
The numbers are worrying. In the last two tournaments, Sri Lanka’s top order (the top three positions) has been occupied by Jayawardene, Dilshan, Tharanga and Sangakkara: the seasoned pros of the side, with all four being above 30 years of age. The four of them combined have scored 1127 runs over 9 games, including five half centuries and three centuries. Prolific, to say the least. The story is a little different once you move down the batting lineup.
In the same period of time, Sri Lanka have utilized seven different batsmen in the middle order. They managed a combined aggregate of 650 runs. When you take away the performances of Mathews, who has established his place in the side for a while now, that value drops to 430 with just one half century; hardly inspiring numbers, especially when compared with the achievements of the top order.
Dinesh Chandimal has been especially disappointing lately. He has played 14 games this year and averages below 19, with only one half century to his name. Chandimal decided to opt out of the IPL in April, in order to work on his technique, but has yet to translate that effort into results. He has displayed that he has the temperament and the shots on occasion, but with only 2 centuries in 56 innings, he is yet to fully live up to the hype that was generated when he first came on to the scene. Although he is a wicket keeper, he is playing in the team purely as a batsman, and while few will argue about his talent to fulfil that role, he needs to start showing results to justify continuous selection.
Lahiru Thirimanne on the other hand, seems to be a player struggling to find his place and role in the lineup. Since his ODI debut in 2010, he has already played in every position from 2 to 8 in just 34 innings. His style of play means he is more suited to build the foundation of an innings and play an anchor role, rather than as a finisher, and he is a contrasting ally to the rest of Sri Lanka’s dashing middle order. While his inability to rotate the strike frequently has caused discontent among the fans at times, it should be remembered that he is still young, and will probably learn to do so in time. Although an opener by reputation, Sri Lanka possibly sees him as a future number 3 or 4 batsman, and the main reason for any inefficiency caused by playing him up the order is the fact that both he and Sangakkara play patient and unhurried innings at the top. Perhaps having two such players at the crease is not ideal for the team, but in the long run it will benefit Lankan cricket greatly to have this youngster batting alongside one of Sri Lanka’s finest. His ability to accelerate when needed, and his habit of playing out a lot of dot balls are two areas of concern however, and will need to be addressed if he is to become a suitable number 3 bat. A career strike rate of 68 is far from useless, but at times he has come off as a bit of a limited batsman. Hopefully he will receive the necessary guidance to remedy those shortcomings.
Angelo Mathews is the only one in this young troop to have cemented his place in the side without question. He has been excellent with both bat and ball, and his ability to keep a cool head during crisis makes him an ideal middle order player. He suffered a lean patch recently, but that was due to lack of form and injury more than anything. His last few performances have been impressive and he is without a doubt Sri Lanka’s best all rounder at the moment. His captaincy was also largely impressive in the tri-series. The rest of the players; the likes of Jeevan Mendis and Kusal Perera, all show promise, but are yet to string together the sort of performances that would help them lock down their positions in the team. There are a number of youngsters still waiting to prove themselves in the international arena, and these players will be well aware that they only get so many chances before an opportunity is given to the likes of Angelo Perera.
It is not a dire situation however. Far from it. Cricket fans will remember a period when Dilshan, Mahela, and Kumar were basically the entirety of the Lankan batting attack. In fact, the records of these three greats could have made for much better reading if they didn’t have to contend with a brittle middle order for so many years. While this speaks volumes about the class of the three senior batsmen, it is still a worry for Sri Lanka cricket. The middle order has been Sri Lanka’s Achilles heel for many years, and has actually been strengthened since the advent of the above mentioned players. The important thing now, is for some of those players to claim their spots in the lineup in the manner that Sangakkara and Jayawardene have done for so many years. Stability in the middle order has been something that Sri Lanka cricket has lacked for ages, and if that can be remedied, the only direction for the team to go will be up. Sri Lankan fans will hope that this will be the case. Perhaps, if that happens, we can even win a final one day.
