Players’ ups and downs in England Test series

• Kamindu and Asitha take the honours

Sri Lanka’s Player of the Series Kamindu Mendis

THE OVAL: Another tour of England has ended and it is time to reflect on the ups and downs of the Sri Lankan players who performed in the three-match Test series.

On top of the list is Kamindu Mendis, who won the Sri Lanka Player of the Series award with a commendable batting performance that had the English public and media raving. He had proved his credentials as a batsman of high quality in the subcontinent, when he won the Player of the Series in the two-Test series played in Bangladesh. England offered him a new challenge. To come to England for the first time and succeed as a batsman means you’ve got to have something special. The hallmark of his batting is that he keeps everything simple and sticks to his basics and the confidence that he possesses. He has lovely balance, a great eye and clarity of thought which in the long run should serve him well. No. 7 is the position where he has scored the majority of his 695 runs from 6 Tests, but his style and range of shot making is that of a No. 4. He could gain promotion in the batting in the upcoming series against New Zealand.

Running Kamindu close for the Player of the Series was fast bowler Asitha Fernando, the whole-hearted seamer who never gave less than his all and took wickets consistently to finish the series as the top wicket-taker from both sides with 17 wickets at an average of 24.64. He adjusted to the English conditions much quicker than his fellow bowlers, picking up 6 wickets in the first Test at Old Trafford and following it up with 8 at Lord’s, which included a five-fer in the first innings that put him in elite company of having his name inscribed in the honours board. Fast bowling coach Aqib Javed thinks very highly of him. “He has got all the potential. In another seven to eight years if you look after him, he could be the greatest Sri Lankan fast bowler. He has got pace and swing. Moves the ball both ways. He is a complete package,” he said.

For Pathum Nissanka this series assured him of a permanent place in the Test side and if he continues to perform the way he did at the Oval with his match-winning century he could easily slip into Dimuth Karunaratne’s shoes when he calls it a day. He has been on top of his game in the white ball format and his return to the Test side after a two-year absence showed his considerable class.

The skipper Dhananjaya de Silva led his team from the front. Batting at no. 6, he did well, but with three half-centuries and a top score of 74 was insufficient for him to go on to shape the match and the series. The couple of wickets he picked up when he bowled his off-breaks showed that he should trust himself with the ball more often. For the fighting qualities that his team displayed throughout the series they deserved the consolation victory.

Tall lanky six-footer Milan Rathnayake was the ‘find’ of the series. Picked as the third seamer Rathnayake surprised everyone with his enterprising batting in the first Test at Old Trafford making the highest score – 72 by a No. 9 on debut. He also made a useful 43 at Lord’s. With 151 runs (avg. 30.2), 10 wickets (avg. 32.1) and three catches he showcased his talent as an all-rounder who could be quite useful in white ball as well.

For the second successive series Lahiru Kumara has proved to be Sri Lanka’s quickest and one of the most effective bowlers. He followed up his 11 wickets in the series in Bangladesh with another similar haul here thus underlying his value to the team. His extra pace was an ideal foil to the seam and swing movement of the two Fernandos, Asitha and Vishwa.

A lot was expected of left-armer Vishwa Fernando following his success with English county Yorkshire, but unfortunately for Sri Lanka he found his proper line and length only in England’s second innings at the Oval. He kept the ball up to the bat and found some swing and his discipline and perseverance brought him two key wickets of Joe Root and Harry Brook, that swung the match Sri Lanka’s way. Sri Lanka’s leading spinner Prabath Jayasuriya was unlucky to be left out of the Oval Test when Sri Lanka decided to go with a 4-man all-seam attack, which eventually brought results. He bowled some super deliveries in the first Test at Old Trafford to take the wickets of Harry Brook and Chris Woakes that evoked memories of Shane Warne’s ‘ball of the century’ to Mike Gatting. He was less threatening at Lord’s and was dropped for the final Test.

A lasting issue for touring teams is that certain players fail to hit their straps as was the case with Kusal Mendis, who showed his true-form in Sri Lanka’s run chase at the Oval with 39 off 37 balls out of a partnership of 69 with Pathum Nissanka. Otherwise, he had a very ordinary series by his standards, but the workout he’s had with the coaching staff to rectify his mistakes would see him amongst the runs soon.  

With little foot movement, Nishan Madushka struggled in English conditions and lost his place to Pathum Nissanka as Dimuth Karunaratne’s opening partner at the Oval. Sometimes asked to open and at times keep wickets Madushka served the purpose but with a batting average of 6 from four innings he will find himself hard done-by to retain his place in the team, especially with Karunaratne still around.  

The biggest disappointment in the series for Sri Lanka was the failure of the three senior players Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal and Dimuth Karunaratne to contribute big with runs.

Karunaratne especially missed out on the opportunity to score a Test hundred in England which would remain a blot in his illustrious Test career. He never crossed 40 in the series and the only moment to remember for the ex-captain was passing 7,000 Test runs to become the fourth Sri Lanka to do so.

Chandimal is another player who will reflect on spurning opportunities to make scores that would have given his team more chances to set up victory. He was unfortunate to suffer injuries on both sides of the popping crease whilst batting as well as keeping wickets which hampered his progress. His batting average of 35.4 (177 runs) and 8 catches is not a fair reflection of what he can deliver.

Mathews has many happy memories of touring England (captain and 2 centuries to boot when Sri Lanka first won a series in 2014), but at 37 he was a bit of a liability in the field. He saved himself for one last hurrah at the Oval sharing a century partnership with Pathum Nissanka as Sri Lanka romped home to win.