I am back!!!
Since he was dumped from the captaincy and team in 2021–when selectors thought the limited over game was only for fitter, more aggressive players–Dimuth Karunaratne was a neglected player in that format.But two years later, the 35-year-old has made into the ODI team and that, too, for the all-important World Cup Qualifiers to be played in Zimbabwe starting June 18. Sri Lanka is among 10 teams vying for the remaining two slots in this year’s 50-over World Cup in India.
Had he ever thought he could engineer a comeback to the side? Not even in his wildest dream, he says.
“I never thought I would get a chance again to play white-ball cricket,” he confessed just hours before the team left to Harare.
“There wasn’t even a hint of me getting a chance. Lots of players were tried including Angelo (Mathews) and (Dinesh) Chandimal, not me. But I always wanted to prove I could still play ODI cricket.”
Since being axed, Karunaratne has been in excellent form in the longer format, scoring 1,776 runs in 16 matches at 65.77. Such consistency stood him in good stead as selectors, albeit late, revised their youth strategy to recall the man to ODI cricket.
“I kept improving my Test game, working hard on my fitness and improved my Test strike rate. I am happy I finally got the opportunity I deserved,” he said.
Karunaratne has had a strike rate of 57.23 since April 2021, as opposed to 48.94 in his first 70 games. “After the Ireland series, I got a break in Bangladesh and I think those two matches did help me get the break in the national side again,” he reflected.
But Karunaratne was not at ease playing his first international game after two years.
“I was under tremendous pressure in the first match,” he said of his first appearance in an ODI after two years.
He was brought into the side to face Afghanistan at the eleventh hour when Kusal Janith Perera was deemed unfit to play, to provide stability at the top of the innings. This was after the selectors’ attempt to groom a formidable duo at the top of the order failed to materialise.
Avishka Fernando, Kusal Janith Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Niroshan Dickwella, Minod Bhanuka and Nuwanidu Fernando had played the role at different times but due to various reasons, from injuries to lack of consistency, most of them could not cement their places.
Karunaratne’s first attempt was a failure as he was caught at second slip for four runs and his critics were quick to crucify him.
“Even though I had played over 90 Test matches, I could not handle that pressure in the first game,” he said.
“It’s only natural. The expectations were very high. There were many who were questioning my inclusion in the side and I had to prove myself.”
He then received ‘huge support’ from the team management.
“Both (Chris) Silverwood and Mahela (Jayawardena) spoke to me and asked me to play to my strength without worrying about the strike rate,” he said.
“This worked for me and I was able to score runs and score at a good rate.”
One of the key reasons for dropping Karunaratne from the team was his strike rate, which hovered around the mid-70s in ODI cricket. During the three-match series against Afghanistan, however, he had the best strike rate of all the batters on both sides–99.11 while averaging 56 with two half centuries (52 and 56 n.o.).
“What people don’t realise is that each player has a different role to play in the team,” he explained.
“My role is to set a good platform with my opening partner for the rest of the batters to capitalise on. We did this in the second and third games and won quite convincingly. If you lose wickets at the top early, there’s too much pressure on the rest of the batters.”
In their last five outings, prior to the recent home series against Afghanistan, only once they batted through the full quota of overs. Commenting on the World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe, Karunaratne admitted that the team is under pressure but believes they could make it into the main tournament in October.
“We are under pressure,” he said.
“There’s so much expectation from everyone. We are a good team and we showed that in the recent series by winning it. We lost the first match, but came back strongly in the next two games by good margins. We will do it in Zimbabwe.”
The Sri Lanka team, led by Dasun Shanaka, left early morning on Saturday to compete in the qualifiers. Angelo Mathews was the only player to miss out on a place from the squad named for the Afghan series.
| Squad: Dasun Shanaka (Captain), Kusal Mendis (Vice Captain), Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushan Hemantha, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana
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