We have a Test squad that can go on for another year – Jayasuriya

Milan Rathnayake has all the qualities to become Sri Lanka’s next Test all-rounder 

• Sri Lanka has eye on ICC World Test Championship final

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

With an eye on the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord’s next year, Sri Lanka are confident they have a team to suit all conditions of cricket, both at home and abroad. This confidence rises from their recent performance in the three-Test series in England and in the two-Test series at home against New Zealand.

It took a little time for Sri Lanka to get acclimatised to the conditions in England and once they had done that, they beat the hosts in the final Test at the Oval. That victory extended to the home series against New Zealand, where they won 2-0 at Galle. Thus, three wins in a row have rocketed them to no. 3 in the WTC standings, behind India and Australia. With a two-Test series in South Africa in December followed by a similar series at home against Australia in January, Sri Lanka, under their new Head Coach Sanath Jayasuriya, are quite confident that they can make it to the final.

Sri Lanka had a problem with the make-up of their batting order, which they solved during the New Zealand series. 

“We pushed Kamindu (Mendis) to five and Chandi (Dinesh Chandimal) agreed to go at three, which was very good for the team,” said Jayasuriya. “We don’t have to worry about Chandi or Angie (Angelo Mathews) retiring – we have stabilised our middle order batting so that there won’t be an issue. We took that decision and it is good for Sri Lanka cricket.”

Prior to that, Sri Lanka promoted Pathum Nissanka to open with Dimuth Karunaratne during the England series and the pint-sized opener seized his chance to score a match-winning century at the Oval.

The work ethic of the seven batsmen from 1-7 is “unbelievable”, said Jayasuriya. 

“Our batting unit wants to bat for a long time. Sometimes, when I try to finish the session off in 2 hours, I cannot do it because batsmen then come for throw downs and all that, which is good. But I don’t like to drag the practice sessions for too long – we have to somehow manage. All of them are putting their 100%.”

“Bowling-wise, Asitha (Fernando) is bowling well. There is also Milan (Rathnayake) and Lahiru (Kumara). Vishwa (Fernando) is injured at the moment. The setup is almost done. Now what we need to do is to give them the confidence and make them play all the time. In Test cricket, we have a set of players who can go on for another year.”

In the spin department, Sri Lanka has Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, and newcomer Nishan Peiris to play around with.

“Nishan is really good. He played in the Sri Lanka ‘A’ team for a long time and has been in the system. He was recently in South Africa and did well, so we got him back. We wanted a player who can hit the right length most of the time. He is doing that, so that Prabath can do his variations easily. When runs are leaked from the other end it makes it difficult. On both sides, tight lines and length matters – it is key. Nishan has a good future and is a good bowler but he has a long way to go.”

One of the areas that Sri Lanka is looking at improving is the role of an all-rounder, where players like Somachandra de Silva, Ravi Ratnayeke, Aravinda de Silva, Chaminda Vaas, Kumar Dharmasena, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Jayasuriya, and Angelo Mathews played a huge role.

One player whom Jayasuriya thinks will fit the bill is Milan Rathnayake.

“To me, he looks like the most suitable person for that position. We must look after him,” said Jayasuriya. “He has proved it in England that he is an all-rounder – we must now give him that confidence. It’s important that he must play in every game. He bats for a long time to improve his batting, and he does the same with his bowling, and likewise his fielding. He is a rare case we’ve got. We must try and take him forward. I have told him to make sure that he is a bowler who can bat. I need him as a bowling all-rounder. We took him to England as a bowler, the extra bonus was his batting. He has improved his batting and become an all-rounder. We now have a spin all-rounder and a fast bowling all-rounder.”

A cricketer who worked hard at his game to get to where he is today, Jayasuriya has gradually brought those qualities into the dressing room. “When I was playing, I used to run between wickets very fast. I have brought that atmosphere into the dressing room. I have told everyone to take the first run fast and then convert them into twos and threes. I am building some pressure and they are putting a little bit of extra effort when running between the wickets. During team meetings, I emphasise that running between wickets is very important. Fielding[-wise], we are good in the first two sessions, but in the third session we sometimes drift. That is the most tiring session and that is the time you have to lift your head up and give your best. I keep reminding them of these small things regularly between sessions.”

There are three past captains in the team and they have been very helpful to Dhananjaya de Silva.

“I have told Dhananjaya and also the three past captains whom I have spoken to personally, to share whatever experience they have because it is important during difficult situations. It is difficult for only the Captain to make decisions on his own, but Angie, Chandi, and Dimuth have given their 100 % to the Captain, which is good.”