T20 World Cup – The journey into unknown

Chief Cricket Selector Upul Tharanga (centre) addresses the media along with selection committee members Tharanga Paranavithana, Ajantha Mendis, Dilruwan Perera and Indika de Saram Sri Lanka T20 World Cup team

• Drop-in pitches are uneven, we’ll have to play on it to know how it behaves – Chief Selector
• Sri Lanka team leaves for ICC T20 World Cup 

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Sri Lanka’s ICC T20 World Cup campaign in the USA and the West Indies is certainly going to be a journey into the unknown.

Compared to the other Test playing nations, Sri Lanka have the most difficult itinerary to follow playing their four Group D games at four different venues.

Countries like India, Pakistan, Australia, England, New Zealand, West Indies and Afghanistan play at least two of their four group matches at one venue either in the USA or in the West Indies, whereas Sri Lanka play their first three matches at three different venues in the USA – New York, Dallas and Lauderhill and the fourth in the West Indies at Gros Islet.

South Africa play their first three matches at New York before moving to Kingston in the West Indies. Even Bangladesh’s venues are not all that bad playing their first two matches in the USA at Dallas and New York and the last two at Kingston, West Indies. 

“In the USA the wickets are drop-in pitches prepared in Australia,” said Sri Lanka chief cricket selector Upul Tharanga at a media briefing yesterday. “Last year their major league took place in Dallas with drop-in pitches. Although the pitches are coming from Australia the wickets are supposed to be rather uneven, more on the slow side. It could change as well. At this moment of time, we cannot say how it will play. If you take the history of scoring in the USA and the West Indies, the average score is 160-165. Until we play, we don’t know how the wickets will behave, sometimes you can even make 200.”

Sri Lanka will not only have their task cut out of trying to beat the opposition but also face the challenge of what the pitch has to offer. In a T20 game there is hardly any time to adjust but take it on as it comes.

“Every team comes with the intention of winning the World Cup. Even the associate countries in every World Cup have defeated the more established sides. So, we are not treating any team lightly. We expect a good challenge from Nepal and the Netherlands as well. I believe the team we have picked is ready to face any challenge,” said Tharanga who will travel with the team as tour selector along with another former Sri Lanka captain and his one-time opening partner Sanath Jayasuriya, a full-time cricket consultant at Sri Lanka Cricket.

A topic of discussion was the selection of all-rounder Dunith Wellalage over spinners like Jeffrey Vandersay and Akila Dananjaya. Tharanga’s reply was: “The news we get is that the wickets in the USA and the West Indies could be slow. We have most of the time played two spinners but sometimes with the conditions we may have to go with three. That’s why we picked Dunith because he can also contribute with the bat. Sometimes we may have to go with a spin all-rounder instead of a fast-bowling all-rounder. Because Dunith is a left arm spinner we can use him inside the power play.”

The 15-member team led by all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga along with the four travelling reserves leave for the USA today.