Was Malinga the right choice?
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Who's gone bananas now? The credibility of the national team is at stakes with their failure in 'sustainability' - File pic
How if someone suggested that, as things are, it is difficult to visualise a great show by the Lankans at the 2019 World Cup in England and must begin to focus on the picture ahead of them. At that, the one of the main ingredients could be where we want to be placed when it comes to the 2023 Cricket World Cup to be played in India.
There is hardly any time to waste. We have already wasted seven years of Lankan cricket from 2012 to 2019 looking for that magic word – sustainability. Our cricket at times looked brilliant, but, more often than not – just daft. We have just run from one fanciful dream to another, without any justification and the end result is, almost empty coffers at Sri Lanka Cricket.
With an annual general meeting around the corner, let us leave the intricate business of rebuilding the decayed roof of the top management to those newly elected and the Sports Minister. We only hope that no one will ever try to do the ‘moon walk’ at the expense of cricket — like what the previous Sports Minister, Faiszer Musthapha, did just prior to handing over the reins to Harin Fernando.
We are moving ahead with the initial argument and ask the most pertinent question: Is Lasith Malinga the best captain to lead Sri Lanka at 2019 Cricket World Cup.
Before elaborating on the Malinga issue, let us ask ourselves about the quality and quantity where the national leadership concerned. The World Cup winning national captain, Arjuna Ranatunga, only hung his crested sweater as captain in 2008. Since then till the leadership of T.M. Dilshan in 2012, Sri Lanka cricket had seven captains and as a matter of fact, they led the national teams in winter and summer or Test and ODIs.
In 2012, the chain of authority shifted from (both Test and ODIs, as they are segmented now) to Angelo Mathews (both segments), Dinesh Chandimal (both segments), Lasith Malinga (only limited overs as he has retired from the longer version of the game), Rangana Herath (Test only), Suranga Lakmal (Test only), Lahiru Thirimanne (ODI only), Upul Tharanga (ODI only), Chamara Kapugedera (ODI only), Thisara Perera (ODI only) and then arrived the second coming of Lasith Malinga. Just imagine Thirimanne and Thisara Perera just captained three ODIs, Chamara Kapugedera just one, while Lasith Malinga just four ODIs to date. Though they captained the national team only after 2012, players like Chamara Kapugedera and Upul Tharanga are out of national contention, in reality.
Now let us focus on the limited overs version because of the World Cup and let us go through some real pros and cons. The present ODI captain, Lasith Malinga, no doubt, is a much feared bowler internationally and in the count down is still a lethal component of his trade – fast bowling, in Sri Lanka. But, is he captaincy material? There is a big question at that point!
We agree that captaincy is not a popularity poll. At the same time, a captain should have at least the command over 70 percent the national team because it is he who has to get ten other cricketers to dance around for one full day to his and the team management’s whims and fancies. Some call it the game plan.
But, if the captain keeps shooting his mouth out in unwanted forum, the pendulum might swing in the opposite direction.
The other day, Sports Minister Harin Fernando held a cricketers’ forum on anti-corruption and the national ODI captain’s sentiments on that did not go well with most of the players. Malinga went on record saying, “I don’t know why they are giving that opportunity (the amnesty)….if they catch people they should punish them straight away – otherwise people have a guilty mind and cricket is going nowhere,” he said. May be Malinga is within his rights to come out with these sentiments. But, as a captain when one should discuss these issues with the rest of the brood, he should be more discreet and his observations should be confined to the dressing room. May be if he has a qualm about a certain player, he is well within his rights to bring the matter up with the higher authorities discreetly. Following the fracas, then came the wives’ spat between Mrs. Malinga and Mrs Perera that went viral. Lo and behold I can just imagine the dressing room. It is said the pulse rate in the Lankan dressing room was over 140+.
The culmination of these spats has resulted in a reported division within the national team. It is said that there are three factions in the dressing room. One is supposed to be the lone show of Malinga. Then come the faction of Dinesh Chandimal and the faction loyal to Angelo Mathews. It is said that the head coach does not favour the Malinga faction. It is also said that some are requesting the removal of Malinga as captain – which the selectors are not in favour of. If it is true, really; it is a sad boat to be rowing in and no wonder the wives of the players are at each other in public.