The Sri Lankans are facing selection headaches at the top of the order as a sturdy contest has built-up between 4 spearheads. Who would be the most fitting opening pair?
Free hit contributor – Adeeb Saleemdeen
Sri Lanka had nightmares yet again versus Zimbabwe, as they faced a humiliating defeat in the tri series involving Bangladesh. But there were a few positives to take out from that defeat. Kusal Perera was promoted as a opener along with the veteran Upul Tharanga. The opening stand only lasted for 46 runs but Kusal Perera added a valuable 80 off 83 balls. Perera showed promising signs as a middle order batsman in the last few months and was expected to slot in the middle but surprisingly selectors opted to send him as an opener. The most successful opening pair in recent times, Niroshan Dickwella and Danushka Gunathilaka were axed from the playing XI.
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The islanders are still looking for the ideal batting combination and will be looking to sort this out before the all-important world cup in 2019. Many experiments took placed and the success of Kusal Perera as a opener should enforce the selectors to slot him first up eying a long term plan. Upul Tharanga has almost cemented his place as an opener and the inauspicious records at the middle order for Niroshan Dickwella and Danushka Gunathilaka will prove a damper for them earning a middle order spot.
It’s a happy conundrum for Sri Lanka as they have plenty of options when it comes to the opening slot.
Upul Tharanga
The veteran left hander has partnered with the legendary Sanath Jayasuriya and Tillakaratne Dilshan for many record breaking stands as a opener. Upul Tharanga and Sanath Jayasuriya hold the record of the highest partnership of 286 for the first wicket. The stand of 282 between Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan against Zimababwe is the 2nd best by a opening pair of Sri Lanka.
Tharanga has featured 174 times as an opener out of his 208 innings in ODI cricket and has 15 centuries and 29 fifties under his belt. The left hander has almost accumulated 6000 runs as a opener with a healthy average of 34.96. He came in as a middle order batsman during his captaincy stint but was abortive.
The 32 year old vastly experienced opening batsman will be one of the best options for Sri Lanka heading forward.
Niroshan Dickwella
One of the most innovative and aggressive opening batsmen, Niroshan Dickwella also holds a firm record as an opener. He went past the thousand run mark in ODI cricket and he has scored 774 runs coming in as a opener. Niroshan Dickwella and Dhanushka Gunathilaka slammed two back to back double century stands against Zimababwe and they were the first opening pair to do so in odi cricket.
Niroshan Dickwella didn’t show much promise as a middle order batsman in the recently concluded Indian tour and he has a below par average of 18.67. Sri Lanka opting to go with Kusal Perera as a opener would mean uncertainty for Dickwella, but the previous records of Dickwella will give him the edge over the other contenders.
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Kusal Janith Perera
Kusal Perera is a left hander who has a similar batting style as Sanath Jayasuriya and is also a front runner to grab up the opening position. He came in as a middle order batsman in the champions trophy outing and was good enough to settle in the slot. But the selectors opting to send him as an opener against Zimababwe favored the islanders as Kusal competed well.
Kusal Perera has walked in 57 times as a opener and has gone past the century milestone 3 times with a strike rate of 91.79. His career best score of 135 was also achieved as a opener. A player who has the capability of providing quick fire starts more often and put the opposition on the backfoot will be a good option for Sri Lanka to invest eying a long term plan.
Danushka Gunathilaka
The 26 old left hander will be another contender for the opening slot. He has come in as a opener in 29 innings and has added 904 runs to his tally, including a century and seven fifties.He was one of the key players in the champions trophy triumph against the Indians and performed considerebly well against Zimababwe in the home series coming in as a opener. As a batsman who lays a solid foundation for the innings, Gunathilaka is also a good option at the top.
Tharanga’s experience and Kusal Perera’s recent success will provide the trump card to be the openers but the commendable records of Danushka Gunathilaka and Niroshan Dickwella would be difficult to ignore. The newly appointed coach and the skipper will be hoping this conundrum would not last long.
*Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of ThePapare.com
