| Sports |
|
Looking for the next step |
After their emphatic victory in the Test series, Kumar Sangakkara and his men will look to stamp their authority in the shorter version of the game against Pakistan. A series of five One day games and a T 20 match is what is to follow after the Test Matches.
Whilst the Sri Lankan record at home in Tests has been excellent, the same very surprisingly can not be told of the ODI record. The Sri Lankans known for their flair and attacking batsmanship as well as their brilliant allround cricket has faltered in their own backyard in the shorter version. In fact in the last 3 years Sri Lanka has just beaten Bangladesh whilst loosing all other series at home and in their away games the major wins have been in the Asia cup and the victories recorded against both Bangladesh and Zimbabwe only.
 |
| Kapugedara seems to be in sublime touch having got hundreds in both the practice games |
These performances will not only be a great surprise but a worrying factor to all supporters of Sri Lanka cricket as the team has had some of the greatest and the biggest names the Cricket World has known, in the squads. The fact that Jayasuriya, Muralitharan, Vaas, Sangakkara and Jayawardane have all been part of such teams and losing is unpalatable as these are top performers in their own right!
Therefore it is with that backdrop that Kumara Sangakkara will step out to the middle once again to try to restore the ODI pride of the Country knowing very well that Pakistan’s unpredictable nature could be a huge challenge to him to over come.Looking at the squad announced by the selectors, for the ODI series it is a good blend of youth and experience that should do the job for the skipper who will have the services of Muralitharan recovering from the injury he had during the Tests
To begin with having Jayasuriya in the side and at the top is always a bonus as besides being supremely fit, he brings to the game an attacking flavor of batsman ship which most other teams in the world don’t posses. Other than his batting the containing left-arm spin the brilliant fielding and the general athleticism is definitely beyond a 40 year old!
The injury to Dilshan picked up in the Tests while keeping wickets has been the talking point in most social and other discussions will be a big blow for the Lankans. Having adapted to the openers role so well Dilshan can save you plenty of runs as a fielder and is a more than capable off-spinner who would lend himself to a good balance in the team. Recalling of Upul Tharanga as a replacement gives the young man another opportunity to re establish himself after the dream start he had to his career, but one cannot but feel sorry for the young Mahela Udawatte! To me he is one of the hardest hitters of the ball at the age of 22. Young Udawatte can dominate the best of bowling.
His century against Pakistan was emphatic at Kurunegala and along with another player of the future for Sri Lanka Chamara Kapugedera they showed the rest of the world the quality they are made of.
As for Kapugedara, he seems to be in sublime touch having got hundreds in both the practice games, it is only a matter of time before he becomes a permanent feature in the Lankan line up. However if there is one major factor against him it is not his ability or temperament it’s just his inconsistency. It is time Kapugedara starts to establish himself in the line up as he is easily one of the best young batsmen in the country. The return of Samaraweera to the ODI side is an interesting choice. Having made runs in the Tests more aggressively dumping his previous slow methods of scoring. Samaraweera will definitely add solidity to the middle order. But with his return, the likes of Kandamby who is in the side and the young Tamil Union Batsman Gihan Rupasinghe who is not in the side but knocking hard at the door will have to wait and work even harder, which will intensify the competition which is always healthy for Sri Lanka. With Jayawardane and Mathews completing the middle order, Sri Lankan batting is without doubt both solid and attacking.
In the bowling department the return of Lasith Malinga despite the fact that he will be used sparingly will be a huge bonus. Being able to provide the cutting edge in pace and penetration at the top of the bowling order, he will be the ideal foil for the more methodical Kulasekera and the hard working Mirando. However a notable absentee from the line up will be the veteran Chaminda Vaas, who hasn’t retired from the ODI’s or T 20. It will be the first time in many years that Sri Lanka will not have the name Chaminda Vaas appearing in the starting XI. Also the inclusion of leg spinner Malinga Bandara flown back from the UK with Muralitharan and Mendis will be an interesting choice. Obviously he will be one of the backups just in case one of the top two is injured. As one would see and gather from the squad announced it is a side with enough experience and capability. The teams in the past that hadn’t done too well in the ODI’s too were not short of such ingredients. However after beating Pakistan for the first time in Sri Lanka in a Test series Which had eluded many captains before him, Kuma Sangakkara and the team shouldn’t have too much of a problem to start reversing its poor ODI record and more importantly to lay the platform for a strong team for 2011 cricket World Cup, when they commence battle in the ODI’s. Roshan Abeysinghe is a leaing cricket promoter and an international cricket commentator |
|
| |
 |
| |
 E-mail |
| |
views[1] |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
