Kamindu, Chamika, Praveen and Vishwa included for second ‘test’

• With New Zealand tour selection in mind

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Sri Lanka has not played a Test match since last July which is almost seven months ago, and the last ‘A’ team tour took place eight months back in June. 

This paucity of red ball cricket is reflected in the drastic changes the teams are undergoing for the two 4-day unofficial tests against touring England Lions.

In the little space of time that is available to them the national selectors are desperately trying to give players whom they are looking at for New Zealand some match practice with the red ball.

It is in this context that they have brought back fast bowling all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne for the second 4-day unofficial test against England Lions starting at the Galle International Cricket Stadium today. 

Karunaratne has not played red ball cricket for three years, his last appearance being in August 2020 for NCC v CCC in a Premier League match, and his only Test appearance was four years ago against Australia at Canberra. 

He has more or less proved to be a white ball cricketer for the national team and whether he has the temperament and skill to fit into a Test side is highly questionable. But with the selectors trying to take at least five to six fast bowlers to New Zealand, Karunaratne comes into the equation as a fast-bowling all-rounder. Whether he fits the bill is best left for the selectors to decide.

Apart from Karunaratne, there are five other changes to the eleven from the drawn first ‘test’. Left-arm fast bowler Vishwa Fernando has been brought in along with left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama and batsmen Kamindu Mendis and Lasith Croospulle and, wicket-keeper/batsman Lahiru Udara.    

The Sri Lanka ‘A’ team for today’s game is: Nishan Madushka, Lasith Croospulle, Nuwanidu Fernando, Nipun Dananjaya (captain), Kamindu Mendis, Lahiru Udara, Chamika Karunaratne, Lakshitha Manasinghe, Lasith Embuldeniya, Praveen Jayawickrama, Vishwa Fernando. “Once we pick the 11 we play to win, but it’s not the result that is the main objective,” said Sri Lanka ‘A’ team coach Avishka Gunawardene. 

“‘A’ team cricket is all about giving chances to the guys who will be the probable replacements to the senior team, and for players who want to find form. The main objective should be grooming the players who are next in line.”

Today’s game is also another opportunity for discarded Test left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya to make a statement. He didn’t have a good first game in the drawn first ‘test’ conceding 241 runs for three wickets.

“This was not one of those typical Galle wickets that you expect for spinners to come and take wickets straight away. In the second innings a few catches were dropped off his bowling. The wicket didn’t help as much as we expected. Being the senior bowler, I expected a little more from him than what he did in this match,” said Gunawardene. “At this stage I don’t think there is anything that is lacking when it comes to technique or his ability. I had a chat with him and told him not to put himself under pressure to get back into the Test side. Pressure can do a lot of things when you are out of the side. 

“When you are bowling on a good track you shouldn’t try too many things. I felt that he was trying a few things in order to get wickets and probably would have put himself under pressure being the main spin bowler.”

Gunawardene expects the second ‘test’ wicket to offer more help to the spinners than the first. “The wicket is hard, expect it to have a little bit of turn than the last game. The last game the wicket was quite flat, didn’t have anything for the spinners. This might have a little for the spinners. The first couple of days will be good for batting and if there is anything for the spinners it will come on the third and fourth days probably.”

Embuldeniya will have another left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama to assist him. He comes in place of Dunith Wellalage who played that role in the first ‘test’, but has been ruled out of today’s match because of a slight strain on his quad.

Wellalage was played as a spin bowling all-rounder but bowled only ten overs in the entire match.

“He is an all-rounder, what we are trying to reason about is the experience that he gets playing on these tracks. That is what we are trying to give him. 

“We are trying to fit him at number seven and see whether we can groom him in the next 12 months. Bat in the longer version at seven and to be the fifth bowler in the shorter version. He is 20 and he will be a handful in a couple of years to come,” said Gunawardene.