We witnessed some of the best Test cricket in the modern era and as well as some of the bad plays from the end of last year to June 2021, including the final test of the ICC world test championship. As life is slowly returning to normal around the world, international cricket too started. But with Covid surging again IPL had to be cancelled but some international cricket went ahead in parts of the world.
We saw some of the best test cricket in the series between Australia and India. India performed with their young and largely inexperienced side beating Australia in a test series and even winning the last match at Gabba after the 80’s by a visiting team. It actually showed how good Indian talent line up is and how many are there waiting in line to be given a chance to perform on the international stage.
And some of the worst test cricket displays came from Sri Lanka on their home soil against England. Touted as a fortress for Sri Lanka in test cricket, Galle stadium England managed to beat them comfortably with an average spin bowling attack on their side. A ground where once bowlers like Rangana Herath dominated, Sri Lanka lost the series. It did not stop there. It continued until the current T20 series against England. It is clear there is some issue with player performance in the team. It looks like Sri Lanka is way behind in terms of playing abilities of the top four international teams in all three formats. They were not a dominant team in test cricket historically but were well within the top four and able to give a fight and a good show with top teams. And in terms of shorter formats of the game, they dominated world cricket and became world champions and were always up for a good fight in any part of the world.
There were small successes in between such as winning a T20 game in West Indies, a test match and a series win each against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, an ODI win in Bangladesh in Bangladesh. For the first time they lost an ODI series against Bangladesh. There were many weaknesses on display. Biggest worry at the moment is the fragile batting lineup. It is fair to say that there is a pretty decent bowling attack that can defend a reasonable total in the shorter formats and then bowl out a decent batting lineup in a test match twice if there are enough runs on the board to defend. Sadly their dominant aspect of the game has turned tables and seems to be going down hill. Many factions are blamed from players to coaches to past players to administrators. Yet no one has taken the responsibility in a manner they are accountable for and taken steps to improve the conditions and the situation for the past two to three years.
Sri Lanka had 5 head coaches in the past eight years, and all of them had their contracts terminated by SLC where they begged to hire some of them in the first place. Yet there has not been much of an improvement. There was a stint by former Sri Lankan player and former coach of Bangladesh, Chandika Hathurusinghe. Lots of hopes and predictions that he may work his magic and restore Sri Lanka’s glory back again. To disappointment, performances weren’t improved and SLC terminated his contract. Some blame that foreign coaches don’t work for SL setup and players but they had two local coaches in the last eight years yet there is no difference to consistent improvement. After all, the performance of the team does not look good on the coach’s CV.
Changing heads does not end there, Sri Lanka had 10 different captains from 2015 across all three formats. They had a captain who could have become one of the greatest all rounders of all time. Angelo Mathews was injured more than playing in the team in the last few years. Sri Lankan team definitely did not receive Angelo’s full potential and definitely missed out on his contribution. Angelo’s injuries and being on the sidelines didn’t help to progress his career. Angelo was and perhaps the only good find up to the international standard as a player Sri Lanka had since the last era of players like Mahela etc.
Discipline seems at the centre of the heat right now. Latest tour to England turned out to be a disaster and the performance was nowhere near in terms of today’s international standards. Is this due to a lack of players ? lack of experience ? or lack of facilities and adequate training? It appears to be a combination of all of the above. They certainly show a lack of quality players who have evolved, adapted to the current international standards in all three formats. They have been picking up Niroshan Dickwella in all three formats as the preferred wicket keeper batsman. Looking at his performance, compared to wicket keeper batsmen in the top 4 teams, Dickwella is nowhere near to an acceptable level of performance. Looking at India and their first choice keeper Rishabh Pant. He is on another level in his performance. Sri Lanka is in need of a player like Risabh. And looking at international exposure, Sri Lanka hasn’t done much with “A” teams or development squads in recent years. Compared to Sri Lanka , India has a lot more tours for their “A” teams, development squads and younger players exposed to IPL, making the success story of their cricket at present stage.
What use of any talent if there is no discipline to improve and perform to the highest standards
Without discipline there is no talent. What use of any talent if there is no discipline to improve and perform to the highest standards. This is the key issue at the centre of these failures of Sri Lanka cricket that has been brewing for years. Kusal Mendis could have been better managed. He should have been given a break, supported and groomed to handle pressure and brought back into the team. It seems that he has gone past that stage now and his cricketing abilities are fading away. There needs to be a player pool and provide more chances to a wider range of players. It seems Sri Lanka still hangs on to big names rather than talent. Incident happened in England is prime evidence of how low the discipline and management of the team. It is a fitting punishment that SLC decided to suspend them for 2 years. Additionally they should also not be considered for captaincy roles within the team in future. They will need some support in rehabilitating and bouncing back. It is upto SLC to provide this as an utmost priority to them. Hope SLC will not discard them and let them slip.
No individual should be higher than the game itself
Performance by this young team in the series against India has shown us a few things. First of all they have shown that we have talent that was waiting to be given a proper chance. Players like Asalanka, Chamika, Hasaranga, Bhanuka and Minod showed that prospects are higher if they are given a chance. Bowling line up seems one of the best combinations they have had in recent times. If this group is given a consistent run and a chance they will certainly show their capability. Now it is up to the administrators not to destroy them but to groom well. Secondly, it is evident that Shanka is a good captain. This may be one of the key things for the group to play like a group and give their fullest potential. There will be ups and downs but they should be given a chance to prove themselves. Third is that this group proved performing as a team is important as opposed to having big names in a team and solo performances. Cricket is a team sport . No individual should be higher than the game itself. Regardless of the strength of the Indian team this series win in the T20s is something good for Sri Lanka to look forward to building up from. Hope this will be the beginning of a new era.