We are looking for replacements
- Sri Lanka’s seam bowling obscurity continues
- No match winners since the departure of Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Kulasekera
Sri Lanka’s performance in Dambulla is all too familiar. The team has edged forward in the longer format but their limited-over executions are a replay of what has been seen since the visit to South Africa in December 2016.
Bluntly put, they have lost 21 out of 26 bilateral matches last year. This includes three 5-0 whitewashes to South Africa, India and Pakistan (excluding the Champions trophy) and still counting. This is why Sri Lanka is 8th in ICC ODI rankings and why they need much soul-searching in the run-up to the World Cup.
Measures were taken in an attempt reverse the tide. Coaches, captains and selectors were replaced; players shuffled; and a controversial administration sent home. Nothing seems to have helped the critical resurgence Sri Lankans are desperate for.
There are, of course, significant concerns over an unsettled top and middle-order, a drastic decline in fielding standards resulting in crucial catches being dropped and never-ending injuries, all of which have contributed towards the team’s dwindling fortunes.
But it bowling that has been their Achilles heel.
True, the batters have, more often than not, failed to put a decent score on the board. But do we have a Lasith Malinga-like bowler in the side that could change the complexion of the match; one that could invoke fear and doubt in batsmen in every ball delivered.
For many years, Sri Lanka has relied on Malinga’s genius and Nuwan Kulasekera’s guile, considered two of the best death overs bowlers in world cricket at that juncture. Together they helped the team conquer many a frontier, even when batting wasn’t prospering, helping gain a decent total to defend or bowl out oppositions for a defendable total in limited-over cricket.
Their contribution was best summed up by former Sri Lanka head coach Graham Ford who said: “For a long, long time we relied on the genius of Malinga at the ‘death’. And we also had Nuwan Kulasekera, who was a really good partner. Those two looked after the ‘death’ on many an occasion. I’ve had the privilege of sitting in the dressing room, knowing that even though the opposition might be head of the rate, we’ve got these two really good death bowlers to finish off. That was always a comforting feeling.”
The Sri Lankans no longer have this luxury and the duo’s replacements have done little to occupy the vacant spots. There is widespread worry over lack of depth in bowling as the team prepares for next year’s World Cup in England. Kumar Sangakkara was recently quoted as saying that, while Sri Lanka’s batting isn’t an issue, the team’s lack of depth in the bowling department raises concern.
“They have some excellent batsmen,” Sangakkara was quoted as saying. “I think bowling is where the concern is, whether we can restrict sides to manageable or chaseable totals, or restrict sides below totals that our batsmen can get.” Sangakkara made these comments before last Sunday’s ODI opener against South Africa in Dambulla. Just as he had predicted, Sri Lanka’s weak link was exposed as South Africa beat them comfortably in the first two ODI of the current series.
Sri Lanka approached the five-match bilateral series against South Africa with an inexperienced bowling attack comprising Suranga Lakmal (leader of the pack), Lahiru Kumara and Kasun Rajitha. Thisara Perera plays as a bowling all-rounder. While the South African seamers are as inexperienced as the hosts, they bowled skillfully; exploiting conditions to rip through Sri Lanka’s fragile batting order, restricting them for below par scores in both matches but not the Sri Lankan seamers.
This is even after Malinga has made himself available for selection. The manner in which South African batsman negotiated the Sri Lanka bowling attack, barring spinner Akila Dananjaya, proves that we need quick fixers for the pace attack before the World Cup.
The question before the selectors is whether a Malinga-less attack will be good enough to be a competitive side during the World Cup where seam bowling will play a massive role in deciding the winner. After all, Malinga is a veteran of 204 matches with 301 ODI wickets.
In the absence of Malinga and Kulasekera, Sri Lanka has tried out as many as 12 bowlers: Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Madushanka, Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando, Shehan Madushanka, Kasun Rajitha, Dasun Shanaka, Asitha Fernando, Lahiru Gamage, Angelo Mathews and Thisara Perera. There was little success.
Among the wicket-takers in the current pool of players, Thisara Perera, a bowling all-rounder, leads with 149 wickets off 134 matches. He is followed by skipper Angelo Mathews with 114, the batting all-rounder who had to give up bowling due to recurring leg issues. And Suranga Lakmal, current frontrunner in the seam attack with 100 ODI wickets under his belt.
None of the others have played more than 33 matches, making the unit one of the least experienced sides compared to India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, all of whom have well set seam bowling attacks. With 18 matches to go before the World Cup, Sri Lanka must seriously put their house in order if they are to be a real contender for the title. Preparations have already begun my most countries while we continue to falter with experiments.
ODI bowling (Fast bowling)
