Lankan ODI team beginning to take shape with return of injured players

• Afghanistan ODI series and World Cup Qualifiers looming 

Matheesha Pathirana, one of the biggest stars for Chennai Super Kings is the youngest overseas player at 20 years to win the IPL

Dimuth Karunaratne

Angelo Mathews

Dushan Hemantha

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Sri Lanka’s had its own problems with injuries to key players that has not given them the freedom to put out their best one-day outfit for international contests. Although some of the injured players are due to make a return to international cricket in the upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan starting at Hambantota on Friday, injury doubts still persist with a few of them, especially Kusal Perera whose explosive batting at the top of the order Sri Lanka has been missing.

Perera returned to international cricket for the first time in 16 months after recovering from a shoulder injury which required surgery, when he was picked for the three-match T20I series in New Zealand in March, and was expected to play in the series against Afghanistan. But a hamstring niggle has resulted in him being left out of the 16-member squad picked for the three ODIs.

Another key player who is doubtful is spinner Wanindu Hasaranga. Hasaranga picked up an injury to his left heel while representing Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL tournament in India and has to undergo a fitness test today before he is cleared to play. Hasaranga is currently receiving treatment in Colombo and did not travel with the squad to Hambantota on Monday. Lately, Hasaranga, a one-time number one ranked T20I bowler has been going through a lean patch capturing nine wickets in eight matches in the IPL and failing to take a single wicket in his last five ODIs whilst conceding 238 runs.

Two players who are returning from injury are opening bat Pathum Nissanka and fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera. Nissanka who travelled to New Zealand and played in the two white ball series is recovering from a groin injury but is expected to be fit for the series, while Chameera has been missing from Sri Lanka’s white ball line-up since October 2022 having undergone surgery on a troublesome ankle. He has been practicing at the nets and is expected to spearhead Sri Lanka’s bowling attack against Afghanistan. Chameera is an important cog in Sri Lanka’s bowling line-up and one hopes that he can avoid any further injuries to himself as Sri Lanka requires him fully fit for the World Cup Qualifiers.

Having accepted the fact that their experiment with youngsters have proved a failure, the national selectors have unashamedly fallen back on experience by recalling two former white ball captains Angelo Mathews and Dimuth Karunaratne. Mathews made the cut to New Zealand for the ODI series and has been retained for the Afghanistan series, while Karunaratne who led Sri Lanka in the last 50-over World Cup in England in 2019 has been recalled after being dumped as player and captain in 2021. These two experienced campaigners sat back on the side-lines and watched Sri Lanka struggling to put up competitive totals on the board in ODI cricket and thereby lose crucial matches which has resulted in them now having to qualify for a place to play in the 2023 Cricket World Cup in India in October.

But before looking ahead at India, Sri Lanka has a more important hurdle to clear – the 2023 World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe next month where they will compete with nine other nations and have to finish in the top two to qualify for a place. Thus the series against Afghanistan who are one of the eight countries that have gained automatic World Cup qualification will serve as a forerunner to the qualifying games in Zimbabwe.

Karunaratne has been in wonderful touch with the bat at Test level averaging 83.50 for the calendar year scoring 501 runs from four Tests inclusive of two 100s and three 50s. He is expected to fill one of the openers’ slots which would enable him to make maximum use of the fifty overs. Sri Lanka’s downfall in ODIs has been their inability to bat through the full quota of overs and on the occasions they did, the runs on the board were insufficient for the bowlers to set attacking fields and pick up wickets. Karunaratne’s role primarily will be to hold up one end while the strokemakers go about their business of accumulating runs from the other. Mathews’ presence will lend some stability to the middle order that has been lacking in consistency. It is imperative that these two experienced players get amongst the runs which would to a great extent sought out Sri Lanka’s batting woes.

Two young highly talented bowlers, leg-spinner Dushan Hemantha and fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana are expected to make their ODI debuts during the series. Hemantha (29) has been highly spoken of in cricket circles following his success with the ball in domestic cricket as well as against touring sides. He is also a useful lower order batsman with a century in limited-over cricket. A question mark over Hasaranga’s fitness gives him an opportunity to make the break. Pathirana (20) has made a huge impact for newly crowned IPL champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) with his slinging bowling action reminiscent of former fast bowling legend Lasith Malinga. Under the watchful eyes of CSK skipper MS Dhoni, Pathirana has improved in leaps and bounds in his budding career. Used mostly in the death overs Pathirana finished the IPL season with 19 wickets from 12 matches at an average of 19.52 and a strike rate of 14.6.

Sri Lanka squad for Afghanistan ODI Series 

Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Angelo Mathews, Charith Asalanka, Sadeera Samarawickrama (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka (captain), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushan Hemantha, Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana.