From the moment Sri Lanka crashed out of the T20 World Cup last year, they have been working overtime to plug the holes that sank them. The first round of the Asia Cup suggests they have found answers to many nagging questions, although a few skeletons still rattle in the cupboard.
Chief among the worries was a brittle middle order that had folded like a pack of cards once the openers departed. Too often the weight of the world was left on the shoulders of the top two. The collapses at home against Bangladesh and on tour in Zimbabwe underlined the frailty.
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But in this Asia Cup, the likes of Kusal Perera and Kamindu Mendis have shown they can bat deep and steady the ship. When the chips were down, the lower middle order stepped up, with Wanindu Hasaranga playing the finisher’s role with aplomb.
The other elephant in the room was their struggle against spin. Sri Lanka’s recent meltdowns owed much to an inability to pick the tweakers. The numbers don’t lie — before the Asia Cup, their strike rate against spin this year was a paltry 105 compared to 145 against pace.
With Bangladesh and Afghanistan boasting top-drawer spinners, alarms were ringing. Afghanistan in particular have a quartet who can tie the best batsmen in knots, as seen in the last World Cup. Yet Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera and Kamindu Mendis handled them with a straight bat. The key was not slogging their way out but rotating strike smartly, milking the gaps and running hard between the wickets.
Fielding too had been a millstone around Sri Lanka’s neck. Their 2023 World Cup performance was nothing short of shambolic. Since then, however, there has been a sea change, with fielding coach Upul Chandana cracking the whip.
Kamil Mishara’s direct hit against Bangladesh and the blinders taken by Perera and Dushmantha Chameera against Afghanistan were proof that standards are climbing. Gone are the days of optional training; now the side sweats it out religiously on the eve of games.
Bowling remains Sri Lanka’s trump card. They look a fearsome pack when Dushmantha Chameera is breathing fire, with Nuwan Thushara striking early and Wanindu Hasaranga weaving his spells in the middle overs. No surprise that two of their bowlers and two batsmen sit in the ICC top ten, with another knocking on the door.
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Gradually, the islanders are shaping into a competitive T20 outfit, one that could arrive at the World Cup firing on all cylinders. Yet cracks remain. Matheesha Pathirana, once the x-factor, has hit a crisis of confidence. He needs to be backed, for if he rediscovers his yorkers, Sri Lanka could become a feared unit.
The road ahead is busy, a tri-nation series and a tour of England to Sri Lanka loom large, perfect tune-ups before the big stage. Throw in the Lanka Premier League later in the year, and Sri Lanka could be battle-hardened in time to make a serious tilt at the World Cup.
