Rangana Herath confident Sri Lanka can bounce back
Pic by Ishanka Sunimal
Despite the abundance of cricketing talent available in Sri Lanka, the country is facing a daunting task in finding suitable replacements for the two well-known, now retired, spinners – Muttiah Muralitharan and Rangana Herath.
The setback is presently, dearly felt, at a time when Sri Lanka is trying to break the shackles at the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup (WC) in England, after being at the receiving end in many bilateral series.
Leg-spinner Herath, who earned the honour of being Sri Lanka’s ace spinner after Muralitharan’s retirement in 2010, performed his duties similar to a devoted national serviceman, until he decided to hang up his boots in 2018. Herath said that Sri Lanka wasted an ideal opportunity to nurture a team for the 2019 WC.
“Leading up to the WC, we had the tours to New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. Those were ideal conditions for our preparations. But we failed to take maximum advantage from these tours. Since the last WC, 56 players have been used in the 50-over format and we had had tested seven captains,” he explained.
Herath stressed that a pool of players should have been given the chance to show their capabilities. Furthermore, he highlighted the fact that, when a team is preparing for a major tournament such as the WC, they should build the team from the moment the last WC ended. He lamented the lack of preparation leading into this WC.
“Although 56 players were used since the last WC, unfortunately, we were not able to find a suitable group of players that could have been used for the WC. Player rotation has been a major problem in the recent past. I think there were so many changes, which affected the balance of the team. Surprisingly, some of the impact players were also left out,” he added.
He also said that the frequent changes made in the Selection Committee (SC), in the recent past, have affected the performance of the team.
“We need to give a chance to everyone and similarly, the SC needs time to select a group of players, but the present SC was appointed just 6 months before the WC,” Herath noted.
The impact of a quality spin bowler is crucial, when it comes to a major tournament such as the WC, but Sri Lanka went into the tournament with a lone spinner in Jeffrey Vandersay, while the remaining spinners are batting all-rounders.
“Dananjaya de Silva is known for his batting prowess, but the question remains about his role as an all-rounder, as we are left with only Vandersay. Dananjaya will have a crucial role to play to challenge other teams,” he added.
“When it comes to bowling in England, the wrist spinners play a vital role. Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav are contributing brilliantly for India. This is a pleasing sight to see,” he said.
Herath was worried about the reluctance to use Vandersay and he believes it is pointless to keep a player on the bench, as it may affect his confidence.
“Jeffrey is a good bowler, but he needs to play regularly to showcase his talent and capabilities. For example, Bangladesh and India are using their spinners effectively and they have got crucial wickets throughout the tournament, but we don’t have the luxury of a quality spinner in our team.”
The squad that was selected for the WC has been in the spotlight since it was announced on April 18. Herath said that he was surprised to hear the omission of some key players.
“According to my view, Dinesh Chandimal, Niroshan Dickwella and Akila Dananjaya should have been included in the squad, but Chief Selector Asantha de Mel said that the squad was picked according to the statistics of the Super Provincial Tournament held just before the WC,” Herath emphasised.
On a brighter note, Herath is pleased with the captaincy of Dimuth Karunaratne and believes he is capable of leading the National team beyond the WC.
“Dimuth is a good captain and he will anchor the batting department, but the middle order and the senior players will have to help him, to drag the team out of this prolonged crisis situation,” he hopefully opined.
Sri Lanka is a country known for producing quality spin bowlers. Muralitharan is known to be the greatest spin bowler that the cricketing world has ever seen. Alongside Murali, champion left-arm spinner Herath caused problems for the opposition batsmen.
When the duo was playing together, it was a pleasing sight for the cricket-crazy Sri Lankan public. Since Muralitharan’s retirement in 2010, Rangana took over the responsibility of taking Sri Lanka cricket forward. By the time he decided to retire from international cricket, he was one of the greatest left-arm spinners in the game.
In 2018, he decided to bid farewell at the picturesque Galle International Cricket Stadium, where he had many memorable moments in his illustrious 18-year career, which the public will cherish for many years to come. Presently, Herath continues to play First Class cricket.
“After my retirement from international cricket, I played a few First Class matches for my club Tamil Union, and I was involved in a coaching programme organised by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC),” Herath revealed.
Herath played for 2 County teams in England, which he termed as an invaluable experience that helped him develop as a cricketer. He believes that it was the turning point of his career.
“I was fortunate to play County cricket in England. Before that, I played League Cricket in 2009. It helped me a lot and I learned a lot of new techniques and developed as a player. Then I played for Surrey and Hampshire, and I think that was the turning point in my career,” he explained.
The standard of the First Class cricket in Sri Lanka has been a major talking point in the recent past. According to Herath, SLC must make the country’s First Class tournaments more competitive for the players.
“When we look into our First Class structure, there is a difference between standards. In countries such as England and Australia, they have reduced the number of teams, to make it competitive for the players, but in Sri Lanka, we have 24 First Class teams. They should improve the First Class structure, otherwise we will not produce quality players in the future,” he emphasised.
However, as a former National cricketer, Herath was confident that Sri Lanka could bounce back and play the brand of cricket that it is known for.
“I urge all the fans to support the team as they have been doing,” Herath urged.