Asian countries will have difficulty winning ICC trophy in England – T.M. Dilshan
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Inventor of the famous ‘Dilscoop’ shot, Tillakaratne Dilshan (Dilshan), along with Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, were the backbone of the Sri Lanka (SL) Test and Limited-Over (ODI) squads, until he played his last international match in September 2016. During an international career spanning almost 17 years, Dilshan played 497 matches, scoring a mammoth 17,671 runs which included 39 centuries and 83 fifties.
- Â Â PakPassion.net (PP.net): How do you see Sri Lanka’s chances in the upcoming Champions Trophy (CT)? Which team can win this tournament?
Dilshan: We have a young team and they are inexperienced but, a talented one. Playing away from the sub-continent, especially in English conditions, is not an easy task, and that is where sides such as England, South Africa and Australia will have a huge advantage. For Asian countries to win the trophy in England is not going to be easy. In fact, I will say that, even playing to 75% of their potential will not be suffice, as they will need to play out of their skins to win the CT this year. I will hesitate to name any one team as the favourite, as I believe all are capable but, all I can do is wish all the teams the best of luck for this tournament.
- Â Â PP.net: How do you see Lankan Cricket after the departure of Sangakkara and Mahela?
Dilshan: I think, trying to fill the void created by the absence of two great players is not an easy task. A lot of experience has left the team overnight and it will not be easy for Pakistan, as is the case with Sri Lanka too. The trick is to give maximum opportunities to the youngsters and help them build their confidence at international level. There needs to be consistency in selection and also faith needs to be placed with players, instead of bringing them on for a couple of series and then dropping them. I don’t think that this is the way forward to rebuild teams. Settling down in international cricket is not an easy task, especially if you are from an Asian country where the gap between both styles of Cricket is huge. The younger players need to be given at least 2-3 years to find their feet, and anything less will not be beneficial for the player or the team.
- Â Â PP.net: How do you look at your own future, are you interested in coaching?
Dilshan: I never look too far into the future but, I do know that I am not looking for any permanent role. You have to remember that I retired recently, after a long career. I want to give some time to my family now. The fact is that, they sacrificed a lot for me during my playing days. This is now my time to repay them for their patience. I am going to spend more time with my family and have no plans to coach on a full-time basis, and will continue to have this mindset for the next 6-7 years.
- Â Â PP.net: Are ODIs losing their charm in face of stiff competition from the more popular Twenty20 (T20) format?
Dilshan: In my honest opinion, all three formats of the game need to be encouraged and must be continued. There is no doubt that people who would have not watched Cricket are now enthusiastic about the game, due to the advent of T20 Cricket. One has to admit that, only with the introduction of the T20 format has Cricket’s popularity started to increase at a faster rate. That is good news for Cricket in general but, the ICC must continue investing in and encouraging youngsters to play in the other 2 formats, as each style has its own charm.
- Â Â PP.net: How do you see the future of the SL team, as it re-builds after the departure of some big names?
Dilshan: I am very encouraged by our youngsters, despite being short on experience. Their Test whitewash of Australia, in the summer of 2016, is a great example of what this team can achieve, even without the services of the recently retired players. I suppose, what it comes down to is, allow the newer players more space and time to grow into their roles. You cannot be dropping them after 1 or 2 bad performances. Instead, let them settle down in international Cricket and the results will follow. We also have to understand there is a big gap in quality between our domestic and international Cricket. A player coming in from First-class Cricket in SL, cannot simply walk into the National side and be expected to perform from day 1, as he will take time to get ‘acclimatised’ to the pressures of international Cricket. One can only hope the new batch of players can come out strongly and establish themselves, in the same way we took on the responsibility after the departure of Sanath Jayasuriya and others. Sanga, Mahela and I put in a lot of hard work and also helped the youngsters along, but now that we are not there, the newer generation needs to step up. I am confident they will succeed in doing so in the same way we did.
- Â Â PP.net: How is Angelo Mathews doing as a captain in your view?
Dilshan: I believe that, in the last few months or so, he has been affected by injuries and not been able to play that much, which is a concern. He is still new to the job and learning but, what he really needs to do is to focus on his injury problems and rectify them, as it is hampering his progress to a great extent. As captain, he cannot be in and out of the side with injuries, as he needs to allow himself a consistent run as captain, if he is to learn and improve. Obviously, he is now on his own, in terms of experience, as earlier, the senior players would give him much useful advice. Now that we are no longer there, he has to make decisions for himself and take the team forward, as the youngsters look to him for guidance. From what I see of him now, he is making good progress and putting in good plans for the team. He needs to use the help of coaches such as Allan Donald whose vast international experience should be utilised for SL’s benefit. Angelo also has the services of Head Coach Graham Ford and 1996 World Cup winner Asanka Gurusinha who is their manager; both of whom can be made use of by the captain to learn and implement plans which will help the SL team move in the right direction.
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