Batting in the top 7 in a Sri Lankan Test lineup and bowling pace, let it be medium pace or even slower, is one of the rarest things in the cricketing world. The last man to do so, skipper Dimuth Karunaratne is not even a recognized all-rounder.
The last time a recognized all-rounder, Angelo Mathews did it was nearly 2 years ago in New Zealand. However, even with him being one of or ‘the best’ all-rounder ever to play for Sri Lanka, he had not bowled in a Test for almost 2 years before that instance, and you know what the reason is. Even though he was seen bowling in limited-overs cricket before the stoppage of cricket due to the Covid-19 outbreak, him bowling in Tests again looks unlikely.
Dasun Shanaka debuted in 2016 when Mathews was still the Captain and fit enough to bowl, however after playing just 1 match in a tough tour to England, Shanaka was only recalled to the Test team as the main fast-bowling all-rounder 1 year later for a tour to India.
What makes Mathews special is that he batted in the top 6 – to put it in a more cricketing way, he batted ahead of the wicketkeeper. Shanaka on the other hand, always batted after the wicketkeeper, which gives you an idea of his batting skills or rather the perception of his batting skills. An all-rounder batting after the wicket-keeper also means that if he can’t bowl, he can’t fit into the playing XI whereas Mathews continues to play as a batsman even without bowling.
Video – වසර 7කට පසුව පළමු පෙළ පිටියට පැමිණි මැතිව්ස්ගෙන් ශතකයක්
Sri Lanka has never had a fast-bowling all-rounder of Mathews’ caliber, at least not in recent memory. The likes of Farveez Maharoof, Chaminda Vaas and Thisara Perera – were all bowling all-rounders who could bat a bit, hence coming in to bat at No. 7-9. This does not take away anything from the value they add to the team, but an all-rounder who can bat in the top 6 adds more stability to the team, giving it an extra edge over the opposition.
Sri Lanka has had enough spinning all-rounders who could bat in the top 6, even openers, but a fast-bowler with such batting ability is more valuable. This is because more often than not, a spinner who bats in the top 6 is ‘not a proper Test match spinner’, still, there are exceptions. Shakib Al Hasan, Roston Chase and Moeen Ali are some examples from the modern era, but the regular ‘proper test match spinner’ has less focus on his batting and often bats lower down the lineup. Ravichandran Ashwin batting ahead of Wriddhiman Saha for India in Tests is an anomaly to consider, even though India stuck to it for a while. Leaving the exceptions aside, in a usual scenario, irrespective of the playing conditions, a fast-bowling all-rounder promises more to a team than a spinning all-rounder.
Just like ‘proper test match spinners’ who could bat ahead of the wicket-keeper, fast-bowlers who could bat in the top 6 are rare, but still not as rare as the former type of players. Teams yearn for such players (the latter type) and when they have one they tend to make the most of them. Sir Garfield Sobers, Jacques Kallis and Ben Stokes now in the modern era, have proved the worth of them. They not only fulfil the duty of a typical top-order batsman, but they also play the role of the 5th bowler effectively and at times step up for injured bowlers as well.
Sri Lanka to start training for Bangladesh series
After a very long wait, and a bit of bad luck in the case of Angelo Mathews, Sri Lanka now has been blessed with a set of young cricketers who could bat in the top 6 and bowl fast as well. The selectors are also seemingly looking to groom a young prospect to this position as they have named former Peterite, Santhush Gunatilake in a 23-man pool for the upcoming Bangladesh Tests. Apart from Gunatilake, his team-mates at Colts CC, Jehan Daniel and Dhananjaya Lakshan are also ideal candidates for this spot. These three make up the set of players who should be groomed to become the fast-bowling all-rounder who could bat in the top 6 for Sri Lanka in Tests.
This trio from Colts CC, all 21 years old now, were part of the Sri Lanka U19 squad which became Plate Champions in the ICC U19 World Cup 2018 in New Zealand and all 3 batted in the top 7. Josephian Jehan Daniel was the Vice-Captain of that team and was one of the 2 main all-rounders of the side along with skipper Kamindu Mendis, who brings an extra dimension with his ability to bowl with both arms. Daniel resembles Mathews in so many aspects starting from the fact that they come from the same school, the same club to leadership styles, ability to finish games and being so useful with the ball. However, despite several opportunities to play for the Sri Lanka Emerging team and a handful of First Class games for his club, Daniel is still to put up a worthy show to earn a national call up.
What former Richmondite Dhananjaya Lakshan brings to the table is his versatility in batting at any position. Lakshan, who was an opening batsman for his school and Sri Lanka U19, started his First-Class career as a number 3 batsman and now has slipped down to the lower middle order. If he does perform well at number 3 or 4 for his club and earns a national call-up, he’ll have to bat at number 5 or 6 for the national team because Sri Lanka have plenty of specialist batsmen (including experienced campaigners like Mathews, who himself was once an all-rounder batting in the lower middle-order) to occupy the top 4 slots. So Lakshan’s experience batting up the order will give him an edge. He just needs one good season with loads of runs to get his major break.
Gunatilake, the lucky one, did exactly what is required for him to earn the call-up every young cricketer is dreaming of – he scored 679 runs in the recently concluded domestic season at an average of 48.50 including 2 centuries and 4 half-centuries. The highlight of his season was a 245-run 3rd wicket partnership with Angelo Mathews against a formidable Saracens SC which had Sri Lanka Test fast-bowler Kasun Rajitha, several Sri Lanka A representatives and some experienced domestic cricketers. The character Gunatilake showed in playing big knocks throughout the season was highly appreciated by so many pundits including the national selectors.
The tall and lanky Gunatilake’s pace is more than useful and he is well capable of using the new ball. Lakshan is also a handy utilizer of the new ball while Daniel stands out as the best out of the 3 in terms of bowling. Even though the trio cannot be considered as front-line seamers of a Test outfit, the potential and promise they show would make them good 5th or 6th bowlers in a Test line-up. What matters is that they can bat in the top 6 unlike most of the fast-bowling all-rounders who have played for Sri Lanka.
Dasun Shanaka, with the experience he has currently and the way he scores in domestic cricket, might be an option to play as an all-rounder who bats in the top 6, but he being a better limited-overs cricketer, investing that time on a youngster like someone mentioned above would be wiser in the long run for Sri Lanka.
NCC’s fast-bowling all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne who played just 1 Test for Sri Lanka as a bowler batting at number 8 could also be considered as a potential candidate for the role we are talking about here.
Video – සන්තුෂ් ගුණතිලකගෙන් ශතකයක්
Considering current form, Gunatilake stands out as the best out of the 3 and promises bigger things in the domestic circuit as well as for Sri Lanka. He’s only named in the 23-man pool and is yet to earn a place in the final squad. Even if he makes the final 15, playing would be a question because Sri Lanka will be playing Bangladesh at home where they usually don’t require the service of a fast-bowling all-rounder. But, if they are to employ a strategy of 3 spinners, something they do often when teams like Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and England tour here, a player like Gunatilake in the top 6 would be ideal in case the sole front-line seamer breaks down or comes across an off day. When playing in seamer-friendly conditions away from home, a player like Gunatilake would be an obvious choice.
So this is the right time to invest. Start with Gunatilake while keeping an eye on Daniel and Lakshan.
*Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of ThePapare.com.
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