Shanaka relishes world class bowling attack
A world class bowling attack is a luxury every captain dreams of and Sri Lanka limited over skipper Dasun Shanaka is relishing it ahead of his team’s white-ball series against Australia. The T20 World Champions arrived this week for their first all-format tour–three T20s, five ODIs and two Tests in six years–but the hosts are confident of taking sweet revenge for their 4-1 drubbing this February in Australia.
To achieve this, the skipper wants his “world class” bowling attack to fire from all cylinders to put the visitors on the back foot.
“I’ve got a world class bowling attack,” declared Shanaka, ahead of Tuesday’s T20 opener at the R. Premadasa Stadium. “They have been excellent over the last several months and I am hoping they will continue in the same vein throughout the current series.” 
Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara, Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana have been part of Sri Lanka’s white-ball set-up for some time and had shown steady growth, producing some outstanding spells. Joining them are Nuwan Thushara and Matheesha Pathirana, whose actions are very similar to Lasith Malinga–the bowling coach (who was a short-format specialist with a sling-arm action) and Kasun Rajitha, a right-arm seamer.
Chameera is an important asset as he is fast, hits the deck and also gets movement off the pitch. Kumara, though missing the series over injury, regularly clocks over 145kph.
“Chameera has been outstanding. He is just getting better and better all the time. He has been our lead and has taken that responsibility,” Shanaka said of the 30-year-old fast bowler who played for Lucknow Super Giants at the recent edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
“Lahiru, too has been in excellent form but, unfortunately, he is not in the team this time around. With Kasun Rajitha and all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne also in the mix, we have a good seam attack.”
Out of the three, Chameera has gone to another level and Mickey Arthur, Sri Lanka’s Head Coach, before Chris Silverwood called him “genuinely world-class”. What has made Sri Lanka’s fast-bowling stocks more compelling now is the presence of the two slingers–Thushara and Pathirana.
“To have the luxury of a good seam attack gives us a good balance to the side and, with two spinners of world class, we have a top class attack,” he emphasised.
Shanaka says Thushara has more control but Pathirana is quick and more difficult to pick with his low-arm action. Thushara has represented Sri Lanka in two games but Pathirana, hitherto uncapped, made his IPL debut this season for Chennai Super Kings, leaving an early impression when he picked a wicket off his very first ball.
“He is certainly a bright prospect,” Shanaka said of the 19-year-old from Kandy.
“He has the pace and also got a good slow ball but he needs to have more control of the ball. If he can do that, I am sure he can go a long way”.
Pathirana got figures of 3.1-0-24-2 on debut, earning plaudits from many including his skipper, MS Dhoni. With Chameera assured of his position, the team management will have a tough call to pick Chameera’s partner and it might be a national cap for youngster Pathirana if Sri Lanka looks to bring in that surprise element to the attack.
In the spin department, they have a settled combination: The mystery spinner in Theekshana and world-class leg-spinner with a killer googly in Hasaranga.
“I am really proud of where Hasaranga has reached within this short time in his career,” said Shanaka.
“The amount of hard work he puts in during training is unbelievable. He is a very important cog in our wheel, not only now, but for many more years to come.”
The 24-year-old Hasaranga was the highest wicket-taker at the World T20 tournament last year. This helped him secure a massive IPL deal worth US$ 1.43m with Royal Challengers Bangalore. He finished the tournament as the second highest wicket-taker with 26 scalps, just one short of fellow leggie Yuzvendra Chahal.
“Hasaranga, in particular, has had a couple of unbelievable years. He can be very dangerous as we have seen in the IPL. Even on flat wickets he is a threat,” Australian skipper Aaron Finch told reporters on Friday when questioned him on challenge they expect from the Lankans.
The bowling has given Sri Lanka a slight edge in the T20 series but the skipper admitted his batters should join the party, putting runs on the board.
“Since we have a good bowling attack, we need the batters to fire and, if they can, I think we can win the series. We played on good sporting wickets in Australia and, even though we lost the series, we gave a good fight,” he said.
The limited over series which begins on Tuesday runs till June 24 and despite the economic crisis that has crippled the country, people have shown great interest in the series as large numbers queued up to purchase tickets that went on sale yesterday.