Some people seem to be daggers drawn already calling for Chandika Hathurusingha‘s blood after the national cricket team suffered two successive defeats at the hands of Zimbabwe and Bangladesh earlier this week. All what they need to be told is that Sigiriya wasn’t built on one day and the Head Coach and the team need to be given time to fix the mess.
The disappointment is understandable as Zimbabwe are ranked tenth in official rankings and will be playing a qualifying tournament in March to earn a slot for the ICC Cricket World Cup next year in England and Wales.
Sri Lanka are now in danger of not qualifying for the finals of the competition unless they win the next two games.
Read – Dismal Sri Lanka sink to 163-run loss against Bangladesh
Hathurusingha has been very careful warning people against too much expectations. In his first media interaction, he told journalists that the expectations scare him. He also reminded everyone before the team departed to Dhaka how strong Bangladesh are at home having recorded series wins over South Africa, India, New Zealand and Pakistan. Their only blemish in ODIs at home was the series defeat to England last year.
Tom Moody, who took over as Sri Lanka’s coach in 2005 from John Dyson faced a similar fate. His first assignment was to India. The team comprising many stars from Muralitharan to Sangakkara lost the Test series 2-0 while in ODIs they were thrashed by a margin of 6-1. Yet, Moody went onto achieve some unique feats that included Test wins in England and New Zealand and whitewashing England 5-0 in their own backyard before going onto qualify for the finals of the 2007 World Cup. India on the other hand crashed out of the World Cup in the first round itself. In less than 15 months, the two teams fortunes had turned upside down.
A little bit of patience until he draws up the battle plans and identifies the personnel for the challenges ahead will do a world of good for Sri Lankan cricket.
Bangladesh are a side that is vast on experience with five of their players having represented the country in more than 150 ODIs each. Sri Lanka has only Upul Tharanga, who has crossed that landmark. When Sri Lanka won the World Cup in 1996, one of their biggest plus points was the 14 member squad that played that competition had a total of over 1000 caps put together. The eleven players Bangladesh put out on the park on Friday for the Sri Lankan clash itself had more than 1100 caps.
Hathurusingha has claimed such authority like having a say in selections and other matters that when results do not go his way, decision makers can do things to clip his wings. Instead, he should be given all the backing to implement his vision for Sri Lankan cricket. Only one man at the moment can take Sri Lanka out of the current mess and that is Hathurusingha.
After the Zimbabwe tour, he could ask for more changes like having the support staff he wants and authorities should back him to do it his way rather than pulling from the leg.
Why Bangladesh were able to enjoy unprecedented success was that no one meddled with his work and his vision brought them tremendous success during the last three years.
However, Sri Lanka will be better off looking at their composition. During the first leg of the tri-nation competition, they have gone with three front line bowlers along with three all-rounders. Playing Wanindu Hasaranga and Asela Gunaratne in the same team is massive gamble and for the rest of the competition they need to look at the wicket taking options. Left arm wrist spinner Lakshan Sandakan could concede 70 runs in his ten overs, but more importantly he will get you three wickets. He should be Sri Lanka’s second spinner alongside Akila Dananjaya.
The new coach didn’t take it too kindly when his team was condemned as world’s worst fielding outfit prior to their departure. Those are harsh words but the reality is Sri Lanka’s fielding is well below par. Fielding is a discipline that the Sri Lankans have been long neglecting and it has cost them dearly over the last couple of years. The team needs a line in the sand moment where they decide to place a higher premium on fielding. Fielding is one skill where you don‘t need much talent but through sheer hard work you can raise the standards.
Over the years, successful Sri Lankan teams aware of their bowling deficiencies have placed a high premium on fielding. Negligence of it will haunt them.
This has been a Sri Lankan team that has struggled. Sloppy in the field, unable to bat the 50 overs and wayward bowling were some of the aspects that troubled the team in 2017 as they lost 23 of their 29 ODIs last year. Expecting the team to raise the standards overnight is unacceptable. Hathurusingha is no magician to perform miracles.
