When Kepler Wessels made that humiliating statement, "We could beat them with our SA ‘A’ side” there were several to question the wisdom of the former South African skipper. Within days, they had to hide their heads as the Centurion Test was over in three days!
Tomorrow, on Boxing Day, Sri Lankans get on to the field at Kingsmead, Durban, with their reputation at stake, just nine months after being finalists of World Cup.
In the event Sri Lanka fails to make a winning effort at Durban, they will crash to their fourth straight series defeat in nine months. This is only in Test cricket and if you really count the number of ODI series too, then it will go down as the seventh series defeat in-a-row.
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| Dinesh Chandimal |
Having all these facts and figures that no one can deny, Sri Lanka still has the capacity of coming out of the wilderness to show their mettle in the sport, irrespective of where the match is being played.
Sri Lanka's biggest problem is their batsmen not getting enough runs. There are world class batsmen in the team but they don’t seem to click together as a batting unit. According the team manager Anura Tennakoon, there will be certain changes for the second Test, starting at Durban tomorrow.
One certain way to strengthen Sri Lanka's batting is to introduce promising wicketkeeper batsman Dinesh Chandimal to the Test arena.
Chandimal, yet to make his Test debut, has a proven track record in international cricket. The right hander has played 17 ODI's and scored two centuries against India and England, both outside the shores of Sri Lanka.
When asked the possibilities of Chandimal making a debut at Durban, Tennakoon confirmed over the phone that he is being considered for the position and is a strong contender for a place in the team.
Chandimal has a first class average of 58.52 in 35 matches, with a career best of 244 against New Zealand 'A' at Colombo three years ago.
Usually he bats at number 3. Chandimal is a player who adjusts to the situation very quickly. Quite possibly, he'll be asked to bat lower down the order, without disturbing established players like Sangakkara and Jayawardane. However, this is Test cricket and the 22-year-old will have to negotiate with his biggest weakness of getting carried away when he sees the ball well.
Despite bowling his heart out at Centurion to claim 3 for 114, Thisara Perera hasn't been doing any justice to his potential as an all-rounder. A batsman, with a good hand and eye coordination, he throws his wicket away more often than not at crucial moments.
As a result, the strong left hander might lose his place in the team in favour of Dhammika Prasad who has similar capacities. Dhammika is a batsman with a first class century to his credit, and always adds that extra yard to his bowling.
However, none can justify the persistence with Dilhara Fernando. Dilhara has enough experience with the national team for over a decade, but the strongly built fast bowler claimed only one for 114 in 28 overs at Centurion.
Since there are expectations for yet another green top at Durban, Sri Lanka were contemplating the possibility of having a four-prong pace attack a couple of days ago. Having that in the back of their minds, there are two spinners in the squad also to be considered and Ajantha Mendis, hasn't figured in a Test match for the last seven months.
South Africa hasn't played Test cricket for seven months or so until they met Australia a few weeks ago. They haven't won a Test series at home for the last three years either. At Durban, South Africa has not won a Test in three seasons. They lost to Australia, England and India three in-a-row and their last Test win at Durban was in 2008 against West Indies.
These factors will persuade them to go for a fast and bouncy green top at Durban against pace allergy Sri Lankans.
South Africa Squad:
Graeme Smith (Capt), Jacques Rudolph, AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher, Imran Tahir, Morne Morkel, Alviro Petersen, Vernon Philander, Ashwell Prince, Jacques Rudolph, Dale Steyn, Marchant de Lange,
Sri Lanka Squad:
T. M. Dilshan (Capt), Tharanga Paranavithana, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardane, Angelo Matthews, Thilan Samaraweeera, Dinesh Chandimal, Thisara Perera, Dhammika
Prasad, Chanaka Weladegara, Dilhara Fernando, Kaushal Silva, Rangana Herath, Ajantha Mendis, Dimuth Karunaratne,
Lahiru Thirimanne
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