Lanka’s tour of discovery
In the aftermath of the T-20 euphoria and the player/management hullabaloo that followed, the Lankan cricketers leave next Friday to take on Ireland in two One Day Internationals, followed by their FTP tour of England, where they would play a T-20 international, five One Day Internationals and two Tests.
Generally a tour of this nature – to an Associate member country like Ireland is considered just another courtesy call on a poor relation. But, with the composition of this outfit, Sanath Jayasuriya and the rest of the selection company have put special onus on this segment of the Sri Lanka tour of England.
This is the composition which the selectors are hoping will take over the cricketing reins of Sri Lanka in the post-2015 era. In all probability, when that time arrives, the names which are missing from this tour party like Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardena, Rangana Herath and T.M. Dilshan will be gone for real. They feel this is the most opportune time for the younger brood of the Lankan camp to take over the oars and row the boat ashore unscathed.
Commenting on the side that is touring Ireland Selection Committee Chief Sanath Jayasuriya said, “We are putting a lot of emphasis on this tour. This team will be the main nucleus of cricketers that will take Sri Lanka beyond the 2015 era. Besides the lads who are on tour there are a few like Angelo Perera, Udara Jayasundera and Vishwa Fernando who are on our radar. We are really looking forward to seeing how this composition is going to fare in unfamiliar conditions.”
Still there are two well seasoned stallions in the camp in either department to share vital thoughts with skipper Angelo Mathews in Upul Tharanga and Nuwan Kulasekera. Upul Tharanga has been in the international fray since 2005 and Nuwan Kulasekera has been on the same platform since 2003. This combination could form the balance. In spite of their experience Upul Tharanga (29) and Kulasekera (31) have a few more years of cricket in them.
At the same time, for skipper Angelo Mathews, who is now blossoming into a capable leader, this is an opportunity to sharpen his cricket instincts. Not exactly in the deep end of the pool, but, now he will be out there alone without the input of the Mahela/Sanga experience.
For the Lankan cricketers as a whole the Ireland leg of the tour will be a good tool to acclimatize themselves with the vagaries of the English summer.
At the top of the order with the absence of T.M. Dilshan, there will be an all left-hand opening affair with Upul Tharanga joining the young and dashing Kusal Janith Perera. They are the only established opening batsmen in the Ireland leg of the tour.
Commenting on the inclusion of Upul Tharanga Jayasuriya said, “Though we have to break the right-hand/left-hand opening combination, we are happy with the left-hand duo of Upul Tharanga and Kusal Janith Perera opening the innings. In the last year Tharanga batted very impressively during the domestic and ‘A’ team circuit, forcing us to make way for his second coming. This is the kind of grit that we appreciate. For a talented cricketer of the calibre of Upul Tharanga, doors are always opened if they are willing to take the challenge. Besides he is only 29 years old and has about a decade of international experience behind him. That too is an added advantage to us.”
In the early middle there would be Dinesh Chandimal, who has batted at the number three position even prior to this along with Lahiru Thirimanne. The rest of the batting in the Lankan camp will read as Kithruwan Vithanage, Ashan Priyanjan and Niroshan Dikwella.
In the allrounder slots there are four players. This is a rare phenomenon in Lankan cricket. There are three fast bowling allrounders in skipper Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera and Nuwan Kulasekera while left-arm spinner Chathuranga de Silva proved his credentials as a capable batsman during the Asia Cup in Bangladesh.
The new ball merchants will be Suranga Lakmal and Dhammika Prasad while the selectors have put a lot of focus on the skills of Ajantha Mendis and Sachitra Senanayake, but in all probability only one of these two bowlers will be in action on a given game.
After the Ireland leg the Lankans will ferry across to the mainland where they will face the England cricketers who are looking for redemption after a series of catastrophes. This will be their first Test of wits at home after the Ashes debacle.
The Lankans will begin this leg of the tour with three matches against English counties. The games against Essex and Kent are 50-over games while the game against Sussex at Hove is a T-20. The matches will be played on the May 13, 16 and 18. On Tuesday, May 20 at the Kennington Oval, London, Sri Lanka will play the sole T-20 international between the two countries.
Sri Lanka only lost to England during their World Cup winning T-20 campaign in Bangladesh and for Malinga and company, who will take the field as the new holders of the ICC Trophy in this category of cricket; this is going to prove a real challenge.
However at the end of the first leg the more serious part of the business comes into focus with the ODIs followed by the two Test matches, where the two seniors will also join the tour squad while the Test specialists will join the fray later.