If the test series against England is bound to provide Sri Lanka with a stiff challenge, the ODI series should be an easier task.
The 2006 series between the two countries witnessed a very tough test series for the Lankans with skipper Mahela Jayawardane playing a gem at Lords to draw the first test. The next two tests at Birmingham and Nottingham were shared with the series being leveled. A very creditable performance by the Sri Lankans who then took the Englishman apart winning the ODI series by a whopping five matches to nil margin.
Actually the last ODI at Headingley was a triple tragedy for the English. First they had the bad news that the legendry Fred Truman passing away and then Sri Lanka white washed the English by winning the final ODI game. Their final nail in the coffin was the Soccer World Cup quarter final where Portugal overcame them in a penalty shoot out! A day of disappointment that was not easily forgotten by the English!
Hence the forthcoming series will be fought with such a backdrop, with a score to settle for the Englishman. The English in their own backyard is one of the toughest opponents to tame. The ODI series is to be played during a time when the sun shines and the weather becomes warm, making it friendlier to the Lankans. Hence it will be no surprise if the Sri Lankans under Dilshan is able to overcome their English counterparts in this form of the game rather more easily than battling them in cold and gray conditions which prevails in May and during the early part of June where the Test series is on.
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| Kandamby would be good addition to the Lankan middle order |
To win the ODI’s I believe the correct blend will have to be maintained along with plenty of experience. In my last column I did commend the selectors for including Thirimanne, Chandimal and Nuwan Pradeep in the test squad. This selection is an investment than anything else and should be viewed in that context. The ODI team too needs young blood though experience in the side is bound to be vital. Also Sri Lanka has a status to protect being the second best ODI team in the world!
Hence the Sri Lankans will have a few areas which need to be filled and in the batting department it is imperative that Chamara Silva be given an extended run and Thilina Kandamby be recalled. Statistically Kandamby has the best home record in ODI in terms of averages from 2000 to 2009. The middle order batsman has a healthy forty seven in ODI games in Sri Lanka and is a more than handy leg spinner besides being left handed, an option that was not available to the Lankans in the world cup. Kandamby as a batsman may not be the type who scores a century in 50 balls but surely he is solid and able to score at almost run a ball giving the team the much needed strength in the middle order.
In addition to the two, one player I would want have in this ODI line up is the veteran all rounder Sanath Jayasuriya! I am sure there could be few eye brows raised and an equal number of objections. But despite all that Jayasuriya is a player who can still play in this eleven. But don’t get me wrong it is not as an opener! I would slot him at number seven to use the change of ball, the batting power play and to provide the big hits in the middle order the Lankans lacked in the world cup. Jayasuriya may be forty two but he is not short of fitness and could still hit the ball very hard and far! A feature the Lankans lacked in the World cup but a style that is needed by every team in the modern ODI game.
Besides he will give the line up the experience and the depth and swiftness in the field as he is as fit as any youngster in the current team. As a left arm spinner he will never be an attacking spinner, but he will be a fine containing bowler. Besides it will give skipper Dilshan the luxury of reservoir of experience and the opportunity for the great man to bid farewell from the game he loved, on a high! Great cricketers write their own script, with the likes of Murali doing so in Test cricket and very nearly repeating it in ODI cricket too, I am sure Jayasuriya who is possibly the greatest cricketer from Sri Lanka considering all versions, is bound to end with something extra special! Lets hope he is given the opportunity and more importantly the confidence that he needs to go out there do what he knows best and that is to score runs and get wickets and help Sri Lanka win games!
The ODI format should also mean a recall for Nuwan Kulasekera who had the distinction of being the top ODI bowler at one stage in the ICC rankings. Kulasekera a brisk medium pacer who brings the ball back into the right hander should find the green English tracks to his liking besides being able to bat at number eight or nine!
The biggest plus for the Lankans in the bowling line up will be the return of Lasith Malinga. Possibly the finest fast bowler in the world today, Malinga’s decision to retire from test cricket should be lauded. Surely it is a step in the right direction and would ensure that the speedster serves Sri Lanka cricket for much longer than what would have been. I believe the Lankans have the capacity and the experience as well as the players to win the ODI series in England. Let’s hope the players mentioned will be given the opportunity on the tour to enhance that prospect!
Roshan Abeysinghe is a leading
cricket promoter and an international cricket commentator
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