Thursday Sep 19, 2024
Thursday Sep 19, 2024
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Kusal Mendis (left) who has taken over the ODI captaincy from Dasun Shanaka (centre) has a chat with Head Coach Chris Silverwood.
LUCKNOW, Sunday: Well, finally it has happened, but not the way it was intended to. Dasun Shanaka has eventually been replaced as Captain of the Sri Lanka ODI team for the remaining World Cup matches.
It was a decision the national selectors should have taken prior to picking the World Cup squad, not wait for Shanaka to get injured to have him replaced. Shanaka has two injuries – in his shoulder and leg. The ICC Technical Committee has approved another all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne as Shanaka’s replacement.
It was plain for everyone to see that Shanaka was not in the best of form with the bat nor pulling his weight with the ball and, that he was in the playing eleven because he was the captain. True, under his leadership Sri Lanka won a record 13 ODI matches on the trot, but you cannot expect the rest of the players to continue carrying the team for Shanaka without him making a single notable contribution with either bat or ball.
The writing was on the wall for Shanaka to be replaced as captain following Sri Lanka’s dismal display of batting in the Asia Cup final against India at the R. Premadasa Stadium where they were routed for a paltry 50. But for reasons best known to the selectors they still continued to retain him as captain for the all-important event as big as the World Cup, hoping that he would regain his form.
But unfortunately for Shanaka and for Sri Lanka, we lost the first two matches against South Africa and against Pakistan, that has somewhat put the chances of finishing in the top four of the World Cup standings for a semi-final spot in jeopardy.
Sri Lanka take on Australia in their third match of the World Cup at Lucknow, a multicultural city renowned for poetry, music and fine cuisine among other things, where Kusal Mendis is expected to make his debut as Sri Lanka’s 26th ODI captain.
Mendis has already shown his hand while leading Sri Lanka in the World Cup warm-up game Afghanistan where he pummelled the opposition bowlers to the tune of 158 off 87 balls before retiring out. He is presently in the form of his life and if the warm-up game is anything to go by, the extra challenge of being the captain is only going to inspire him to achieve greater heights.
Today’s contest is going to be a clash of two sides who have lost their first two World Cup matches and are desperate to post their first win. Will Mendis be able to change Sri Lanka’s fortunes by leading them to victory against the Aussies?
Following their 13-match winning streak which ended with their defeat against India in the Asia Cup Super Four, Sri Lanka has lost three of their last four ODIs.
“We cannot say that we have an advantage over Australia just because we are playing in similar conditions as in Sri Lanka. Most of the Australian players have played in the IPL as well as in other Asian countries. They are an experienced unit,” said Mendis at yesterday’s pre-match media conference.
With Shanaka and Matheesha Pathirana ruled out through injuries Sri Lanka are likely to make two changes to their side with Chamika Karunaratne and either Kasun Rajitha or Lahiru Kumara coming in. Mendis however didn’t emphasise on any changes to the openers’ slot where Kusal Perera has been struggling to regain his form.
“We have given Kusal Perera a role to play with Pathum Nissanka and just because he failed in one or two matches, we cannot rule him out. If they bat for 10-15 overs we will get the start we want. I have great confidence in them delivering.”
About the captaincy Mendis said that he didn’t expect to be handed the role so early and added that he won’t place too much of pressure on himself with the captaincy but play his natural game as he has been doing at the moment.
On Shanaka’s absence, Mendis said that as a team they were sad that he had to go out and hoped the player who is coming in to replace him will perform the role that Shanaka played.
Australian captain Pat Cummins admitted that his team has not been playing up to the standard they hold.
“We’ve been off the mark and been outplayed in both games. When we’re at our best, we’re putting big runs on the board. We’re putting the pressure back into the opposition. Our bowlers are taking wickets through the middle. We haven’t been able to pull any of that together so far. We know what makes us a really good team.”
“Again, it wasn’t that long ago. We’re number one in the world. So, we don’t have to look back too far to work out when we’re playing our best. After the last game everyone was a little bit flat, but the last couple of days have been really good. Everyone’s kind of rolled up their sleeves and want to try and get to work and make amends. So, the mood in the camp has been fantastic. Everyone’s desperate to turn it around.”
