Giving confidence to youngsters; a free hand in selections make CCC unbeatable

Player of the Final Chamindu Wijesinghe (CCC)

Player of the Tournament Nishan Madushka (Ragama CC)

Best Batsman of the Tournament Pasindu Sooriyabandara (Moors SC)

Best Bowler of the Tournament Kaumal Nanayakkara (Army SC)

• Head coach Tharanga Dhammika outlines how the team won 3 Major league titles in a row

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Champions CCC head coach Tharanga Dhammika

The Colombo Cricket Club (CCC) has won the blue-riband of domestic first-class cricket in Sri Lanka –

the SLC Major League for three consecutive years, a no mean feat.

They have done it so majestically and especially this season where they have gone through the 13 matches unbeaten, the only side to do so out of the 26 that participated. It was a proud moment for the club as well as for the players, coaching staff and the management when CCC overcame a stiff challenge thrown at them by Tamil Union in the four-day final at the SSC and asked to chase down a mammoth total of 558, which they did by replying with 669.

“In the final when Tamil Union scored 556, we knew what we had to do,” said CCC head coach Tharanga Dhammika. “We knew the wicket was 100% a good track. It turned a little. It was a four-day match and if you stayed at the wicket, it was not easy to get a set batsman out. If you tried to do that you gave away runs. 

“So, we decided that we would play it in sessions. If you analyse the match, you lose only a wicket or two in one session of play and for a day, three or four wickets. If Tamil Union can score 558 on that track, we knew that for a side that has won back to back Major League titles it was not going to be a difficult task. We kept that very clearly in our minds and accomplished what we had to do.”

“When (Ashan) Priyanjan and Chamindu (Wijesinghe) figured in a double century partnership after we lost five wickets. We were wondering how to push the match forward. We took the singles and twos and planned to stay in the middle as long as possible. Even if we were unable to score runs, we didn’t let the opposition know how difficult it was. 

“But when they tried to get us out, we managed to score the runs. The closer we got to their total the pressure kept mounting on them. We identified who their main bowlers were and we didn’t allow them to do what they wanted. Tamil Union is a good side but we outplayed them with our experience, tactics, and the good support we got from the team management and the club. Cricket is a game you cannot win alone.”

The secret of CCC’s success over the years has been the atmosphere that has been created in the dressing room where both experienced and younger players blend together as one family and the emphasis laid to give opportunities to young potential players.

“During the T20 and One-day competitions we were planning for the three-day team. We played a lot of youngsters in the age of 20-22. We gave a lot of prominence to them and because of that they took a great liking to represent the club. If you are to improve Sri Lanka cricket you have to give opportunities to youngsters,” said Dhammika. 

“Chamindu Wijesinghe is only 22 and he was Player of the Final. He did not perform in any of the white ball matches but we didn’t drop him from any match, because we knew he had the potential to become a future player. 

“Wijesinghe started off playing at number eight position but in the final we promoted him to six and he went and scored a hundred. We have a policy that if anyone gets out, we never make a single remark. We have given them the confidence to go out and perform, so they know their responsibilities. There is no gap between players, we play as a family.”

“If you look at our success, it has been youngsters who have delivered. With the contributions from the experienced players, we have been able to win. The best thing with CCC is we are able to pick the team which we want and play without any outside interference. 

“The captain Ashan Priyanjan and I have the liberty to pick the side that we think is the best. We know the players well and their confidence levels. An outsider does not know what takes place inside. From the club President Shammi Silva downwards, no one questions our selections, so we are able to pick a suitable 11 for every match.”

Citing an example, Dhammika said that Pavan Ratnayake who had scores of 30s and 40s was brought in for the final at the expense of Pawan Pathiraja who had scored twin fifties in an earlier match. They had a lot of confidence in Ratnayake. In the final he delivered by scoring a valuable 85.

In the past seven years he has been head coach of CCC, Dhammika has won virtually every Major title for the club – One-day champions and runner-up, T20 champions and runner-up and three Major league titles in a row. What next?  

“I love to coach a team in the Lanka Premier League (LPL). But to begin with, as assistant coach. You need to start small before getting onto the bigger stage,” said Dhammika who has the experience of coaching first-class teams for the past 18 years. “If you do good things and obtain good results, people must appreciate it. It would be a great encouragement for the other coaches as well because they know they have a future ahead of them.”