Sri Lanka are preparing to fight fire with fire in the first Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi, with Eshan Malinga closing in on a debut as the tourists weigh up a pace heavy attack.
Peppered with short pitched bowling during the warm up game in Islamabad earlier this week, Sri Lanka expect another searching examination on a green top. They are keen to ensure their own pace cupboard is well stocked when the series gets underway.
Asitha Fernando picks himself as the leader of the attack, while left-arm quick Dilshan Madushanka offers variety and has found a good rhythm during the white ball leg of the tour. The third specialist seamer’s berth has become a straight shoot out between Lahiru Kumara and Malinga, with indications that the selectors favour the uncapped youngster.
Malinga has been a superb find for Sri Lanka in white ball cricket over the past year, carrying that success into the IPL. Having established himself in the limited overs sides, he now appears ready to take the next step, with a Test cap beckoning before the toss in Rawalpindi.
That would be a bitter pill for Kumara to swallow. The quickest of Sri Lanka’s fast bowlers now plays only red-ball cricket, where opportunities are few and far between. There is also a strong case for unleashing a fresh Kumara after Asitha, Madushanka and Malinga shouldered heavy workloads during the white ball series, before rotating the attack for the second Test in Lahore.
Whatever combination Sri Lanka settle on, the competition for places tells a welcome story. Fast bowling, once an area where they struggled for depth, has become a growing strength over the past three years.
Nor are they stopping at three specialist quicks. All-rounder Milan Rathnayake is also in the frame as a fourth seam option, a move that would leave room for just one spinner. Off-spinner Keshara Nuwantha appears to have edged ahead of Prabath Jayasuriya in that race.
Much of the discussion before the series, however, centred on whether Anjala Bandara would receive his first cap. The 22-year-old has been doing more than knocking on the selectors’ door; with a first-class average of 65, he has been threatening to take it off its hinges.
His consistency has been striking, and few challenges placed before him have interrupted the flow of runs. For now, though, the wait looks likely to continue.
There are understood to be concerns over his wicketkeeping and Bandara has recently been working on his technique with former Sri Lanka wicketkeeper Mahesh Gunathilaka.
The bigger consideration, however, appears to be the balance of the side. Captain Kusal Mendis taking the gloves would allow Sri Lanka to accommodate an additional bowling option without leaving the batting threadbare.
That could also ease the squeeze on former captain Dhananjaya de Silva, whose place would come under pressure if Bandara were brought in as the specialist wicketkeeper.
For Mendis, taking on the wicketkeeping duties would add another demanding brief to an already full portfolio. Yet his rise to the captaincy across all three formats marks a remarkable turnaround. After the distractions that once threatened to derail his career, he now finds himself entrusted with setting Sri Lanka’s course.
