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Wednesday, 10 January 2018 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Madushka Balasuriya
Angelo Mathews has taken up Sri Lanka’s limited-overs captaincy just six months after he resigned from the post.
The move is expected to be a long-term one, with Mathews expected to be in the position at least until the 2019 World Cup.
The role of Mathews’ deputy however is still up for discussion, with the final say coming down to the selectors-on-tour. With Test captain Dinesh Chandimal back in the limited overs fold, he would be a frontrunner for the post, however it remains to be seen if he makes it into the playing XI.
Mathews, who had resigned following an ODI series loss to Zimbabwe last year, said at the time his sudden decision was down to allowing his successor to have adequate time to build a team for the 2019 World Cup. His decision bookended a chaotic couple of weeks in which Graham Ford had also resigned as Head Coach.
However, with the return of Chandika Hathurusingha to the role, someone whose methods Mathews has intimate knowledge of having worked with him at a developmental level as well as Shadow Coach of the national side circa 2010, Mathews said he had no choice but to reconsider his decision.
“When I stepped down I never thought of taking up the captaincy again. But as soon as we came back from India the president had a discussion with me. Hathu aiya our new coach and the selectors also spoke with me, and they asked me to reconsider my decision,” explained Mathews.
“I took a few days to think about it to be honest, and there were a few reasons that I decided to accept. One was that, as the [SLC] President [Thilanga Sumathipala] said, it was a national call. The other thing was that the team needs stability running into a world cup in 18 months’ time.
“Also I’ve known Hathu aiya for a long time and I know how he operates. When you have a good strong coach like him where all the other countries are dying to have him, you know obviously he’s the best around. He is not here simply to survive; he is here to do a job. And in my experience I expect it will be very easy to work with him. Cricket has given me a lot, and if I turn my back on it in its hour of need I’ll feel bad in a few months’ time.”
The one asterisk against Mathews taking up the captaincy however has been his recent poor injury record. He has missed half of Sri Lanka’s ODIs over the last year and a half, most recently pulling out early from the tour of India with a hamstring strain. For Hathurusingha though the decision to put Mathews in the role was straightforward. “He warrants his place on his own performances, and the only concern we had was around his physical fitness. But we have a plan in place to help him.”
Pix by Ruwan Walpola
By Madushka Balasuriya
Shehan Madushanka and Wanidu Hasaranga are the surprise inclusions in Sri Lanka’s 16-man travelling party to Bangladesh, where they will square off against the hosts and Zimbabwe in a triangular tournament starting 13 January.
Dinesh Chandimal and Kusal Mendis also find their way back into the limited-overs setup, though there’s no room for Sadeera Samarawickrama or Dasun Shanaka, both of whom have been sporadically impressive in recent times.
Madushanka’s inclusion however was the most unexpected decision, with the selectors explaining that it was a decision taken with a long-term view in mind. The 22-year-old quick has only played three first-class and List A games apiece, however his propensity to routinely bowl around the 140 kmph mark caught the eye of new head coach Chandika Hathurusingha.
“He has pace. He averages 136/137kmph, and bowls a quicker ball at 140+. He is in our long-term plans because we need someone with his pace. At the moment we have Suranga Lakmal, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Pradeep,” explained Hathurusingha
“What I want is that when we’re going to the World Cup we need at least seven bowlers - even if we take four, we need at least seven that have played about 15-20 matches. And if that’s not possible, then the players need to at least be in the first team setup.”
Hasaranga too has limited first-class and List A experience, playing in just 17 and 16 matches respectively for each. However, his domestic performances have been a revelation. Averaging 41 with the bat and having taken 26 wickets at an average of 20.92 with his leg spin, the 20-year-old allrounder has all the ingredients to be a success. His most recent exploits domestically saw him grab eight wickets and score a century for Colombo Cricket Club against Colts CC. His inclusion in the squad however was a result of Jeffrey Vandersay lacking match fitness.
“To be honest we were looking at Jeffrey Vandersay, but he had an injury and had not played cricket in the last six weeks. So we had called Wanindu Hasaranga into the squad and he’s been with them. After the new coach and captain had a look at him we drafted him in,” explained chief selector Graeme Labrooy.
Labrooy also spoke on the returns of Chandimal and Mendis. The former has been in and out of the ODI setup, despite being Test captain, while the latter, who burst onto the scene against England and Australia in 2016, was dropped for the India tour following a poor series against Pakistan.
“We had a plan and a purpose at the selection committee. He’s gone back and played some club cricket, got some big runs, so I think he’s ready to make the comeback. And also I think the new captain and the coach believes in him a lot,” said Labrooy of Mendis.
Of Chandimal he added: “We have a short term, medium term, and long term plan, this is part of the longterm plan. Chandimal has played over 100 ODIs and he’s scored good hundreds with good strike rates. With the new coach coming and working with him, he’s shown a lot of intent.
“Even in the last two Test matches he played in India his performance has been a little more aggressive with a few tactical changes. And in the last 10 days he’s shown a lot of promise, with good strike rates matching up with other batsman well.”
Full squad: Angelo Mathews (Captain), Upul Tharanga, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Janith Perera, Thisara Perera, Asela Gunaratne, Niroshan Dickwella, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Dushmantha Chameera, Shehan Madushanka, Akila Dananjaya, Lakshan Sandakan, Wanindu Hasaranga
