Given the off-field sideshows that have dogged the build-up, it has scarcely sunk in that a World Cup is upon us. The 20-nation jamboree will mint new heroes, draw the curtain on old careers, spring the odd ambush and perhaps crown a fresh champion like New Zealand or Afghanistan.
With geopolitics nudging the island to centre stage, Sri Lanka is bracing for a season of big-ticket cricket, provided the rains keep away. The England series, a 3-0 drubbing, has left many writing off the hosts before a ball is bowled. Yet the whitewash was a timely reality check, a bucket of cold water for those who believed the house was in order.
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The loss of Eshan Malinga was a bitter pill; he looked the one bowler with ice in his veins at the death. Even so, Sri Lanka should negotiate the first round and on home turf, remain semi-final material, however few are willing to stick their necks out.
The bowling unit has been the silver lining. Matheesha Pathirana produced a string of unplayable thunderbolts against England and his slingy action will be a riddle for the associate nations. The fact he is ready to take the new ball rather than operate only at the death shows a coming of age. This could be the tournament where he truly spreads his wings.
In many ways it is a healthy sign that Pathirana, not Dushmantha Chameera, is now spoken of as the spearhead. Both possess raw pace, but Chameera’s metronomic accuracy remains the yardstick.
Spin, traditionally Sri Lanka’s trump card, is in safe hands with Wanindu Hasaranga leading the charge. Maheesh Theekshana, too, will relish opponents who play spin like it’s a hand grenade.
Ironically, Sri Lanka themselves belong to that category. Too many batters reach for the glory shot instead of milking the spinners and turning the strike, a cardinal sin on these surfaces.
Pathum Nissanka is the side’s brightest beacon, providing electric Power Play starts. The top order often lays the platform, only for the middle order to fold like a deck of cards, leaving overs unused.
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Pavan Rathnayake has been a breath of fresh air, one of the few willing to dance down the track. While others play from the crease with hard hands, Rathnayake’s game is built on soft touches, nudges and smart angles, old-school craft in a power-hitting age.
It was a pity the selectors took the bait with Dhananjaya de Silva in the lead-up. The experiment was tried before the last World Cup and ended in tears. Everyone accepted he was a square peg in a T20 round hole, everyone, it seems, except the selectors.
Dasun Shanaka, meanwhile, is beginning to resemble dead weight, particularly against leg-spin. A captain unable to lead from the front can become an anchor around the neck. Shanaka is effectively picking himself by virtue of the armband and with form in free fall, one wonders if the selectors will be tempted to replay the script of 2014. The burning question, of course, is who steps in.
