Series whitewash, a confidence booster for young Lankans
Avishka Gunawardane
Sri Lanka Under-19s cricket team commenced their preparations for the ICC Youth World Cup in an extraordinary manner, when they whitewashed the defending champions Bangladesh on home soil in the five-match One Day International series.
Since the conclusion of the previous Youth World Cup, held in South Africa in 2020, where Sri Lanka returned home empty-handed. They were pushed to an embarrassing 10th position in the final standings. Since then, the team didn’t have the opportunity to play competitive cricket due to COVID-19.
As the countdown for the Youth World Cup 2022 in the Caribbean begins, it was important for the newly appointed head coach Avishka Gunawardane to guide the lion cubs in the proper path, as they were returning to action after a hiatus of 18 months. Their first hurdle was against the Bangla tiger cubs who arrived here after their series win against Afghanistan.
Leading to the Bangladesh series, a squad of 26 players were selected and they were in a residential training programme for over three weeks. According to Gunawardane the residential camp was vital as it enabled him to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the unit.
The squad was selected according to the performance of the provincial tournament and only four players who had previous experience playing Youth International matches, were in it.
“The lack of international exposure was the main concern. From the squad of 26 players, 16 were debutants. We were a team that had less experience. So it was important to be together and build up the trust, especially inside the bio-secure bubble. They eventually started to enjoy, took the same attitude on to the field and played as a team. I am pleased about the team’s progress up to now,” Gunawardane told the Sunday Times.
When analysing the performances of the team, only Chamindu Wickramasinghe was able to score a century. Shevon Daniel, vice captain Raveen de Silva and Pawan Pathiraja displayed their batting capabilities. Captain Dunith Wellalege was the standout performer with the ball, capturing 11 wickets and Trevin Mathews claimed seven wickets.
In fact Shevon Daniel was the highest scorer with 222 runs, at an average of 55.50, while Pawan Pathiraja scored 179 runs at 35.79. His gritty half centuries in the first two ODIs help Sri Lanka to set challenging targets.
Despite being unable to convert half centuries into triple figures, the Lankan head coach is not concerned about their inability for the time being. But he admitted that it is an area that they will be hoping to rectify before the squads are announced for the upcoming Under-19 Asia Cup and the World Cup, which is scheduled to commence in the next few months.
Former opening batsman Gunawardane is pleased about the fact that there are match winners in the team and throughout the series different players dragged Sri Lanka out of pressure situations. He regarded it as a positive factor.
Throughout the series, the dot-ball percentage for both teams were high. Gunawardane, who has a wealth of experience as a coach, is keen to minimise the amount of dot balls. He highlighted the importance of strike rotation and told that it was an area they worked on during the residential camp into the series .
“Bangaladesh had an experienced squad. They were together for the last 12 months and their expectations were high. Despite being high on experience we had our own plans and strategies to challenge them. Fortunately everything went accordingly. Credit of the series win should go to our players, who executed our plans perfectly,” Gunawardane said with a sense of satisfaction.
The coach praised the young captain Wellalage for his leadership skills.
“Dunith (Wellalage) led the team very well. He keeps all the players together. The whole team respects him. That’s a good aspect for a captain. Players trust him and in the middle, they enjoy as a team.”
Matheesha Pathirana was the most experienced bowler in the squad. However he was used sparingly in the first 30 overs. He was utilised in the most important overs and that tactic proved to be a series defining moment. Despite the success Gunawardane noted that young Pathirana should work on his accuracy and should be encouraged to utilise the old ball.
Despite the 5-0 series win, one of the areas concerned is the opening combination. Several combinations were used but they are yet to find an opening partner for Chamindu Wickramasinghe. Gunawardane is hopeful that they will find a solution.
Though Bangladesh lost all five matches they had plenty of positives. Mainly their bowling attack was led by Mushfik Hasan, who grabbed nine wickets. In batting Aich Mollah scored 203 runs at 40.60 and Mahfijul Islam scored 180 runs at 36.00. Both of them scored two half centuries each.
According to Gunawardane, they had achieved the required targets set for the series, but he also said that there is always room for improvement. He is keen to have more four-day matches, so the players get the exposure to adjust themselves according to match situations. It will also test their skill and temperament.
“It is important to train these youngsters at Under-19 level itself,” Gunawardane added while He commending his coaching staff that include Upul Chandana (Fielding), Chamila Gamage (Fast Bowling) and Sachith Pathirana (Spin Bowling) for their tireless efforts.