out the creases. Instead, it has gone off script. Pakistan, despite arriving without several fr With the Lanka Premier League delayed, Sri Lanka have been denied a vital dress rehearsal ahead of the World Cup and their preparations have taken a blow.
The three-match series against Pakistan was meant to be a troubleshooting exercise, a chance to iron ontline stars released for Australia’s Big Bash League, produced a clinical display to stroll to a six-wicket win in the opener with 20 balls to spare. The second game was washed out on Friday, leaving Sunday’s decider also in Dambulla as a last roll of the dice.
Sri Lanka have some hard yards to cover, starting with getting their combinations right and more importantly, picking the right personnel. Constant chopping and changing, coaches, players, selectors, even the captain, rarely augurs well. Musical chairs in the backroom and the middle order only breeds uncertainty and uncertainty is poison in a World Cup year.
Take Kamindu Mendis. For four years, Sri Lanka invested heavily in him, grooming him as an all-format cricketer. He was settling in nicely, finding his feet at the top table. Then, almost out of the blue, he finds himself out in the cold, unable to nail down a spot. Yes, his T20 returns have been modest, but once you identify a talent, you must back him. Kamindu has done enough in other formats to prove he belongs in the big league. Give him the long rope and he is more likely than not to repay the faith.
Then there is the curious case of Kusal Janith Perera. If KJP is picked in a squad, he should be playing. He is no rookie to be ferried around as bench strength. His form has been patchy, granted, but the eve of a World Cup is hardly the time to sow seeds of doubt. Back him, give him confidence and chances are he will win you games. It is a gamble, yes, but a gamble worth taking rather than retreating to the safety of tired, tried-and-tested options.
Before the last T20 World Cup in the USA and the Caribbean, Dhananjaya de Silva was drafted in to bat through the overs and hold one end up, a safety-first ploy to avoid being bowled out inside 20 overs. It did not work. He was axed. Now, on the cusp of another World Cup, he finds himself back in the fold. We are told he has reinvented himself in T20 cricket. Perhaps. One game, however, is far too small a sample size to pass judgment.
The lower-order batting remains a glaring weak link, which is why playing Dunith Wellalage at No. 8 makes sense. He offers assured runs and with this being a home World Cup where spin will have a big say, should have been persevered with. There is work to be done on his bowling, no doubt, but he has not been given the time to settle and grow into the role.
In this World Cup, teams fall broadly into three brackets. At the top sit the big three; India, Australia and England, alongside South Africa, finalists last time around. They are the outright contenders. Then come the dark horses: Pakistan, West Indies, Afghanistan and New Zealand, sides capable of springing surprises. Finally, there are the also-rans, teams propping up the rankings or coming through qualifiers. Where does Sri Lanka fit? They would dearly hope it is the second tier rather than the third, because that is an uncomfortable place to be.
T20 cricket has long been Sri Lanka’s Achilles’ heel. Progress was being made, albeit at a crawl. Right now, however, it feels like the clock has been turned back to square one. With time running out, Sri Lanka need clarity, conviction and continuity, otherwise, this campaign risks being over before it has even begun.
