When you look at the IPL these evenings, you marvel at the talents that India have unearthed. Surely, these young players are going to have an impact in international cricket as well when they break into the senior side. There are so many talented T-20 players in the IPL that even someone like Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli aren’t sure of playing the shortest format for their country again.
Indian cricket can be given a good bill of health when it comes to white ball cricket and their feeder systems in red ball cricket too are in safe hands given the constant exposures with reciprocal ‘A’ team tours taking place between the big three. New Zealand along with South Africa have quietly joined India, England and Australia when it comes to reciprocal tours between them for development teams.
Sri Lanka can not afford such luxuries, yet our school system is so good that occasionally we come across someone like Pathum Nissanka, who from the moment he played Test match cricket looked to be belonging to the big league. When we unearth these gems, we need to protect them as we have lost too many good talents due to the faults of the system. Chamara Silva is a case in point.
A few weeks after winning the World Cup, Steve Waugh’s Aussies landed in Colombo and Chamara was thrown into the deep end at the age of 19. On debut, he showed the stuff he’s made of top scoring against an attack that comprised Warne and McGrath.
Chamara’s Test debut was around the corner as well but after dramatic scenes in Kandy overnight the whole selection panel was sacked and he had to wait for seven more years to play red ball cricket. He faded away never realizing his full potential.
One Chamara Silva should have taught our lessons, but we seem to be determined to send Pathum Nissanka too the same direction.
The young bloke made his Test debut two years ago after truckload of runs in domestic cricket for his beloved NCC. The Maitland Place club has a history of looking after young talents from outstations and former captains like Hashan Tillekeratne and Kumar Sangakkara have taken several new players under their wings.
Nissanka made headlines when he made a hundred on debut in the Caribbean in 2021. It remains a sweet memory because when you think of Jamaica, Barbados, Guyana and Antigua all what you can remember is broken bones, missed opportunities and painful defeats amidst the gloom of rain and bad light.
For so often we have paired so many opening batters with skipper Dimuth Karunaratne with little success. Suddenly the arrival of Pathum settled the nerves and it looked as if uncertain times were over.
Pathum has played a handful of Tests and in those games he has made a hundred and five half-centuries, which is a very decent record. Not even Kumar Sangakkara could boast of such good
numbers during his early days although there was that fabulous 98 at the Centurion that confirmed his class.
When you have found a special talent like Pathum, you need to do all within your means to protect and nurture him, but you don’t see that happening sadly.
When he was overlooked for the Test series in New Zealand, there were a few concerns, but they were brushed aside as he was returning from injury and hadn’t featured in the National Super League.
But to dump him when he has recovered from injuries and has done reasonably well in the bilateral series in New Zealand is giving him a raw deal.
Pathum’s last Test match was against the Aussies in Galle last year. The reason why he went out of the side was because he tested positive for Covid, not because his form was poor or big scores had eluded him.
When he was overlooked for the home series against Pakistan that followed it was said that the selectors were concerned to rush him back. It looked like a sound argument at that time but not anymore.
Not many people will beg to differ that of all three formats Pathum looks more comfortable with the longer version of the game. Sound technique, ability to stay patient and build up long innings are hallmarks of a good Test match player. At a time when Sri Lankan cricket doesn’t have many positives to boast about, the emergence of Pathum has been a godsend.
Due to a recurring back injury, there has been some discussion about the amount of cricket involving Pathum. After scoring a fighting half-century in Mohali last year, he missed the day night Test in Bangalore. If the selectors are looking to keep him out of any format that’s got to be white ball cricket and not the other way around. A First-Class average of 61 is ample proof of that.
The pre match press briefing ahead of the Ireland Test should provide us answers for some of these questions
