Sri Lanka yearning to make comeback after T20I reverse

Dushan Hemantha

Adam Milne

New Zealand cricketers Nathan Smith and Glenn Phillips during practice session

• First ODI at Dambulla today
• Hemantha, Milne as replacements for Hasaranga, Ferguson

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq 

DAMBULLA: Sri Lanka and New Zealand will go into the first ODI at the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium today with their key performers in the second T20I Wanindu Hasaranga and Lockie Ferguson both ruled out of the three-match ODI series.

Hasaranga suffered a left hamstring injury while bowling during the match but still went onto capture four wickets and Ferguson’s exceptional two-over spell saw him perform a hat-trick in Sri Lanka’s run chase before limping off the field without completing his quota of overs, picking up a calf injury. The 33-year-old fast bowler who won the Player of the Match award for his performance was only just returning from injury - a different one, right hamstring.

Ferguson’s hat-trick helped New Zealand defend a small total of 108 by dismissing their opponents for 103 and snatch a five-run win which saw them share the two-match series 1-all.

“We’re gutted for Lockie. He showed in the space of just two overs what an asset he is with the ball and he’s also brought a lot of leadership to this group, so he’ll be a big miss heading into an important ODI series for us,” said New Zealand Head Coach Gary Stead. “To be ruled out so early in a tour is always tough to take, but we’re hopeful his recovery will be short and he’ll be back out on the field in no time.”

Ferguson will be replaced by Adam Milne who has been called into the squad and was expected to arrive in Dambulla yesterday. New Zealand Captain Mitchell Santner said losing Ferguson was a massive blow for his team.

“Lockie has been an outstanding bowler for us. That kind of high intensity short spell is ideal in these conditions. Shame he’s not here. He wanted to be here for all of it and he loves playing for New Zealand. We have Adam Milne coming over this evening. He’s a cut from the same crop. He bowls quick and swings it both ways. He is probably not available for the opening game as it’s a quick turnaround, but should be good for the second game.”

Despite their win in the second T20I which would have given his team a big boost for the ODIs, Santner was wary of what Sri Lanka were capable of producing on their home turf.

“This group has played a lot of domestic one-day cricket recently. They are familiar with it. It’s going to be a great experience. It’s a huge challenge and we know what a tough side Sri Lanka is. They showed it against the West Indies. We are in for a challenge.”

Hasaranga has returned to Colombo to undergo a scan in his injury and will take no further part in the series. He has started his rehabilitation at the High Performance Centre. Hasaranga has been replaced in the squad by right-arm leg-spinner Dushan Hemantha.

“Wanindu is a big loss, yes, but we have Jeffrey Vandersay. He did so well against India and against the West Indies. He had to go out of the side because Wanindu came in,” said Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka at the pre-match press conference. “Maheesh Theekshana will also play. We will stick to two spinners. Don’t think this wicket will spin like the one on Sunday.”

“The bench strength is very important. We saw how when Pathum Nissanka was injured Nishan Madushka came in and did the job.”

Sri Lanka had two days to reflect on what went wrong for them in the second T20I which they lost by 5 runs to New Zealand, and make a fresh start in the ODI series.

“We had a chat about what went wrong. The wicket turned more than we anticipated but that’s not an excuse. Any team can suffer something like that. The important thing is how we come back after such a loss,” said Asalanka. “We didn’t have time to think about that hat-trick. I take the positive from that game as to how deep Pathum (Nissanka) took the game. If he had connected that shot we would have won. Earlier, we hadn’t seen something like that. Now Pathum when he gets set he’ll make sure he completes the game.”

Nissanka batted single-handedly scoring a half-century and brought Sri Lanka close to seven runs from winning before getting dismissed in the final over. Kusal Mendis who took a blow on his knee while keeping wickets is expected to play today, but Asalanka said that there were a few tests that need to be done on him.

Sri Lanka will have to decide between Avishka Fernando and Nishan Madushka to partner Nissanka for the openers berth.

“My personal opinion is we have to give Avishka a chance. He did well against India. He had a tough time against the West Indies, but he scored some runs in the last game. The selectors, coach and me, we want to give a good run for all the players. I have a feeling Avishka will get the nod ahead of Nishan,” said Asalanka who will be playing an ODI for the first time at Dambulla.

New Zealand has not beaten Sri Lanka in a bilateral ODI series in Sri Lanka since 1984 when Geoff Howarth’s team won 2-1. It has been their only series success on Lankan soil while they have lost twice (1992 and 2012) and drawn twice (1984 and 2013).