Captaincy Stakes: How the Burden landed in Dimuth’s Lap

Andrew Fidel Fernando, in ESPNcricinfo, 17 April 2019, with this title “How Sri Lanka’s search for a World Cup captain ended with Karunaratne”

Where most teams are merely working out which of their fringe players will make the trip to the World Cup, Sri Lanka had a bigger question to answer: who will captain the team? Over the past two years, the captaincy has changed hands at a dizzying rate, with Angelo Mathews having had it in two stints, Dinesh Chandimal also helming the ship twice, Lasith Malinga getting the job in late 2018 (after having been stand-in captain once, in 2017), while Thisara Perera and even Chamara Kapugedara have also led the team. It’s been like a game of spin-the-bottle, except instead of embarrassing teenage consequences, Sri Lanka have had embarrassing losses. Since the start of 2017, they have lost 41 and won only 11 ODIs.

Sri Lanka’s World Cup Squad: Punting from Down Under

Michael Roberts

I am venturing bold and proceeding to select fifteen players without the ‘data’ issuing from the trial matches taking place in Sri Lanka. I have taken serious note of Asantha de Mel’s provocative and thoughtful media session and been assisted materially by comments from a pal in Lanka who keeps a close eye on events within the island, but wishes to remain in the background. He will feature in my essay as ‘The Ghost’.

Lessons for Our Cricketers & Cricket Managers

Rohan Wijeyaratna in Island, 15 March 2019,

Of late, Mangala Samaraweera has been in the news. That is not strange given the colourful character  he is. In a parliament that is progressively getting stuffed with those who are boringly similar, it is not surprising those who dare to be different from the herd hardly get any noteworthy mention. Mangala does not fear to be different. And he does not make any bones about it.

The chief reason why so many Sri Lankan batsmen suffered blows on their heads was the absence of proper technique when playing short pitched bowling. On each such occasion they transgressed two cardinal rules applicable to the issue. They failed to get inside the line of flight, and they took their eyes off the ball. In short, they appeared sitting ducks to get hit.

Rohan Wijeyaratna’s Fine-grained Analysis of the Durban Test Match

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rohan Wijeyaratna, in Island, 18 February 2019, where the title reads “Sri Lanka’s finest hour!”

By the end of the third day at Kingsmead in Durban, Sri Lanka were three down for 83 and still requiring 221 to win. All indications were that they were heading towards another customary ending. The game was keenly poised, and If ever there was an occasion for someone to play Horatius at the Bridge, this was it. Early indications were that there weren’t any such gallant men in sight. Batsmen simply came and went. Among those dismissed on day three were Karunaratne, Thirimanne and Kusal Mendis; more or less the main gut of the Sri Lankan batting. At the wicket were Kusal Perera and Oshada Fernando; both threatening to depart anytime. If Sri Lanka were to clamber out of this latest hole, character, restraint, measured aggression and some luck were all needed in equal measure. Despite their well-chronicled self-destructive tendencies, this Test still offered the visitors an opportunity. The pitch was relatively benign and the South African bowlers somehow lacked the sustained menace to cause alarm. All what Sri Lanka needed was greater stomach to make a fist of things. The Lankans however, seemed unconvinced. Instead they set about doing what they were quite expert at. That was to self-destruct. Be it at cricket or any other, Sri Lanka stands unparalleled when it comes to missing out on opportunities which land on their own doorstep. And so it seemed, one more time!

Thoughts on Sri Lanka’s Recent Cricketing Defeats

Michael Roberts, 7 February 2019

Marvan Atapattu has contended that “Sri Lankan Cricket has been in a rut for the past two years” and that whereas “there have been bad times, …. we always could see a light at the end of the tunnel. But the way things are being handled and what I see now, there’s nothing like that.” [1]

Balanced thoughts? Up to a point. The fact remains that the Sri Lanka cricket administration has been a roller-coaster from 1996 to 2018; and some of the squads secured pretty good results despite this background situation – no more so than 2016 when they bested the Australians three-zip — admittedly in home terrain.

Ejected. Hathurasingha no longer a Tour Selector

News Item, Mid-day Com, 31 January 2019, where the title is “Sri Lanka coach Chandika Hathurusingha removed as selector-on-tour”

Curtailing the role of coach Chandika Hathurusingha in team selection, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has removed him from the position of selector-on-tour in order to form ‘an effective and transparent selection mechanism.'”The decision came in the backdrop of Sri Lanka’s poor performance in their recently concluded series against India, England and New Zealand. Sri Lanka have already lost the first of their current two-match Test series against Australia.  The playing eleven for Sri Lanka will now be finalized by the team manager and captain in consultation with the national selection committee. ‘SLC wishes to announce that the team selection; while the team is on tour shall be made by a Committee comprising of Team Manager and Captain in Consultation with the National Selection Committee. The majority decision of the Manager; Captain and members of the Selection Committee shall prevail on any selection made thereof,’ an SLC statement read.

Facing Up to Test Match at Manuka Oval Canberra

Andrew McGlashan in ESPNcricinfo, 30 January 2019, with this title “Australia hunt Test solace against crisis-hit Sri Lanka”

A new Test ground – Australia’s 11th and the second to host its first match this season – brings the international summer to a close with the home side aiming to secure a 2-0 victory and finish a difficult campaign on a high. Sri Lanka, while still clinging to that dream of their first Test victory in the country, would probably take being competitive as a success after their thrashing in Brisbane.