Sports
Sri Lanka’s eternal search for the elusive all-rounder
Sri Lanka have been on a wild goose chase for a genuine seam-bowling all-rounder – someone who can lend balance to the side and tilt the scales in our favour. Yet, despite scouring the length and breadth of our cricketing landscape, success has remained as elusive as a Test win in Australia.
Sure, we’ve unearthed a handful of spin-bowling all-rounders over the years, but let’s face it – they’re about as effective overseas as a canned fish on Unawatuna beach. What Sri Lanka desperately need is a seam-bowling workhorse who can chip in with the ball and wag the tail with the bat. Sadly, that cupboard remains bare.
While India boast the explosive Hardik Pandya, England flaunt the talismanic Ben Stokes, and Australia have pinned hopes on the towering Cameron Green while the South Africans have the nasty Wiaan Mulder. Sri Lanka have had no one in the same postcode, let alone the same league. Our pursuit for a proper all-rounder has lasted longer than Malaysia’s search for MH370—or closer to home, longer than the CID’s chase for Arjun Mahendran.
The term ‘all-rounder’ is often tossed around rather casually in Sri Lanka. Anyone who could roll his arm over and bat a bit is called an all-rounder. After all, we are a country that allowed Cabraal to run the Central Bank.
When you talk about a proper all-rounder, think Jacques Kallis. The man was a colossus. He piled up 13,289 Test runs—more than Sanga (12,400) and MJ (11,814) – and didn’t just twiddle his thumbs with the ball either. With 292 Test wickets to his name, he outgunned the likes of Joel Garner (259) and Michael Holding (249). King Kallis, indeed. When he played, even our Lankan legends and the Calypso kings looked mortal.
And yet, the crown for the greatest all-rounder of all time doesn’t sit on Kallis’ head. That honour belongs to the great Sir Garfield Sobers. In cricket, numbers might paint a picture, but they rarely tell the full story. What set Sir Garry apart was his versatility – left-arm seam, left-arm orthodox, and left-arm wrist spin. With the bat, he was nothing short of an artist. No wonder Sir Don Bradman called him the greatest cricketer the game has ever seen.
We Sri Lankans would settle for someone with even half the class of Kallis or Sobers. But time and again, our budding all-rounders have flattered to deceive – promising much, delivering little, and fading into the sunset before their sun had even risen.
Take Arjuna Ranatunga, for instance. Many overlook his bowling calling it dibbly-dobbly medium pace, but he did claim prized scalps like Sunil Gavaskar and Martin Crowe – whom he cruelly denied a triple hundred in Wellington in ’91, dismissing him on 299.
Athula Samarasekera arrived on the scene with much hype in the early years of our Test journey, but fizzled out like a firecracker in the rain. Chaminda Vaas, a stalwart with the ball, had the chops to make it big with the bat too. He was instrumental during our triumph in New Zealand in 1995 and should’ve notched more than the solitary Test century he ended up with. A couple of premature declarations didn’t help his cause either.
Then there was Suresh Perera, who gave us a glimmer of hope with a dream debut that helped clinch our first-ever Test win in England. But he couldn’t quite bottle that lightning again.
Of all, Angelo Mathews was the brightest prospect – the golden boy. But as fate would have it, injuries clipped his wings. In the latter stages of his career, his bowling became a thing of the past. Thisara Perera, too, had all the raw ingredients, but you always got the feeling he left a few gears unshifted. His career, brimming with unfulfilled promise, ended far too soon.
Now, though, there’s a buzz around a new kid on the block – Chamindu Wickramasinghe. He’s turned a few heads with his performances in the Lanka Premier League, earning a call-up to the national white-ball squad. But just as quickly, he was shown the exit and sent back to grind it out in the domestic circuit.
Turning out for SSC, Chamindu cracked a fighting century recently – with the club staring down at relegation. This week, in the Inter-Provincial Tournament, he rolled up his sleeves for Kandy and delivered a fiery five-wicket haul coming in as first change. His scalps? Just a few big fish – Angelo Mathews, Niroshan Dickwella and Janith Liyanage – as Colombo folded for 201.
This lad from St. Anthony’s College, Katugastota, just 22-years-old, seems to have a good head on his shoulders and both hands firmly on the wheel. He’s no finished product, not by a long shot, but there’s enough in his tank to warrant close attention.
Seam-bowling all-rounders are worth their weight in gold, especially on overseas tours where balance is often the difference between glory and heartbreak. Chamindu might just be the piece we’ve been missing in this long-running jigsaw puzzle.
Sri Lanka has been burnt before – many times over – by players who lit up the scene briefly and then vanished into the mist. But here’s hoping Chamindu doesn’t just flicker. Here’s hoping he burns bright, carries the torch, and finally ends our long, weary search for that elusive all-round gem.
by Rex Clementine
Latest News
FFSL renews National Team Head Coach Abdullah Almutairi under “The Next Chapter” program
As part of the newly launched “The Next Chapter” program of Sri Lanka Football, the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) has renewed the contract of National Team Head Coach Abdullah Almutairi.
The renewal follows discussions held between FFSL President Jaswar Umar and Coach Almutairi regarding the future direction and ambitions of Sri Lanka Football.
During the meeting, President Jaswar Umar expressed his appreciation for the Head Coach’s commitment, professionalism, and positive results delivered over the past two years. He also outlined the new objectives and performance targets that the national team is expected to achieve under the FFSL’s strategic development framework, “The Next Chapter.”
Coach Almutairi completed his first tenure with notable success, helping Sri Lanka achieve significant progress on the international stage. Under his leadership, the national team improved its FIFA ranking substantially, rising from 205 to 187 while recording an impressive number of international victories and positive results within a relatively short period.
President Jaswar Umar stated that he was satisfied with the achievements delivered during Almutairi’s first tenure and the successful completion of key performance targets. As a result, the FFSL had no hesitation in offering him a second contract, reflecting the Federation’s trust and confidence in his leadership and technical expertise.
With the renewed mandate, Coach Almutairi will now lead the implementation of the FFSL’s new technical and competitive objectives, including preparations for upcoming international competitions and the Federation’s long-term vision for national team success.
The renewal marks another important step in “The Next Chapter” initiative, as Sri Lanka Football continues to strengthen its foundations, increase its competitiveness, and build greater visibility and success at both regional and international levels. Football in Sri Lanka is steadily progressing across all areas, supported by a clear vision, strong leadership, and a commitment to sustainable development.
Cody Gakpo and Brian Brobbey both scored twice as the rampant Netherlands thrashed Sweden 5-1 in a World Cup warning to the favourites.
The big win on Saturday in front of nearly 69,000 at Houston Stadium put the delighted Dutch on the cusp of the knockout rounds and gave them lift-off after being held by Japan.
Ronald Koeman’s side top Group F with four points from two games, ahead of Sweden on three, Japan (one) and Tunisia (zero).
Despite the sobering loss, the Swedes had plenty of chances but were denied by good goalkeeping and wasteful finishing.
Sunderland striker Brobbey got his first start of the tournament and repaid Koeman with predatory goals after five and 17 minutes.
Before that, the 24-year-old had scored only once for his country since making his debut three years ago.
In a game full of top Premier League talent, Liverpool’s Gakpo – who set Brobbey up for the opener – scored twice early in the second half.
Substitute Anthony Elanga from Newcastle United pulled one back for Sweden just before the hour with a classy finish.
West Ham’s Crysencio Summerville had the last word for the five-star Dutch.
Two crew members from the historic Artemis II lunar mission were among the VIP guests, a nod to Houston’s place as the home of space flight.
There was no problem here as the Dutch, twice pegged back in a lively 2-2 draw with Japan to start their title bid, made the brighter start in front of their orange-clad fans and King Willem-Alexander.
Brobbey, who came in for Summerville despite the winger scoring against Japan, started and finished the first goal.
It was made in the Premier League, with goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, midfielder Tijjani Reijnders and Gakpo all involved.
Brobbey exchanged passes with Gakpo, before the Anfield attacker crossed in low from the left for his team-mate to stab in from close range.
Sweden, who thrashed Tunisia 5-1 in their first game, could not handle Brobbey’s muscular presence.
Up front, the much-vaunted attack of Liverpool’s Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres of Arsenal were feeding on scraps for Sweden.
Twelve minutes after his opener, Brobbey made it 2-0 when a deflected Denzel Dumfries cross from the right fell perfectly into his path and he toe-poked past Kristoffer Nordfeldt.
Sweden’s English coach, Graham Potter, was in deep discussions with his backroom staff as the game threatened to run away from them.
At the unpopular hydration break, Potter made a beeline for left-sided defender Gabriel Gudmundsson of Leeds United, who was being overrun by the flying Dumfries and Donyell Malen.
Sweden then had their best chance, Gyokeres crossing for an unmarked Yasin Ayari, who completely miscontrolled the ball with his chest.
Gyokeres was next to fluff a good chance, failing to make proper contact after being played in by the largely anonymous Isak.
Gyokeres and Ayari both had further sights of goal, only to be denied by the increasingly overworked Verbruggen.
The Netherlands were hanging on by the end of the half.
Koeman sent on Summerville for Malen at the break and two minutes later it was mission impossible for Sweden, Gakpo prodding in from close range after yet another dangerous low cross from Dumfries.
All three goals were strikingly similar.
Gakpo scored a lovely fourth on 54 minutes, turning inside his defender before firing low into the bottom corner.
Elanga pulled one back five minutes later when he raced clear of the Dutch defence and rattled the ball past Verbruggen.
Summerville made it five in the dying minutes with his second goal in North America.
Sweden are still in with a good chance of progressing into the last 32.
Japan and Tunisia play later Saturday in Monterrey, Mexico.
Sweden face Japan next, while the Netherlands play Tunisia.
[Aljazeera]
Javelin thrower Themiya Thabrew led a strong contingent of emerging athletes who bettered qualifying standards for the World Athletics Under-20 Championships during the Junior National Athletics Championships, which concluded at Diyagama on Thursday.
Thabrew produced one of the standout performances of the meet, setting a new championship record of 69.85 metres to claim the boys’ Under-20 javelin title. The Lyceum International School, Wattala athlete not only secured the gold medal but also comfortably surpassed the World Under-20 Championship qualifying mark. Having narrowly missed the standard a couple of months back, Thabrew made amends in emphatic fashion, producing a throw that came close to the national junior record held by Rumesh Tharanga.
The one-lap events also yielded impressive results. I.M. Bogoda of St. Joseph Vaz College clocked 47.18 seconds to beat the qualifying mark in the boys’ 400 metres, while Lyceum International School, Wattala athlete Irosha Edirisinghe followed with a qualifying performance of 47.38 seconds.
The boys’ 400 metres hurdles produced three World Under-20 qualifiers. M.M.S. Nimasha of Sri Dewananda College led the field in 51.74 seconds, while Trinity College, Kandy athletes M.A. Riffai (52.78 seconds) and K.H. Uyanwaththa (52.92 seconds) also dipped below the qualifying standard.
In the field events, Pavan Nethya of Maris Stella College, Thimbirigaskatuwa cleared 2.13 metres in the high jump to achieve the qualifying mark, underlining his potential on the international stage.
The triple jump witnessed another pair of outstanding performances. S. Thehara Ravishka Fernando of Maris Stella College leapt 15.83 metres with the assistance of a legal +2.0 m/s wind, while I.D.S.H. Jayasinghe of St. Benedict’s College, Kotahena followed closely with a jump of 15.71 metres. Both athletes comfortably exceeded the qualifying standard for the World Under-20 Championships.
The performances at Diyagama highlighted the growing depth of talent in the junior category, with athletes across both track and field disciplines earning the opportunity to compete against the world’s best young athletes at the upcoming World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
(RF)
FFSL renews National Team Head Coach Abdullah Almutairi under “The Next Chapter” program
Gakpo, Brobbey doubles give Dutch 5–1 World Cup win
Trump vows Iran will not charge Strait of Hormuz tolls, but says US might
Showers will occur in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts
Govt. seeks INTERPOL assistance to bring Basil Rajapaksa back
Ravi warns against attempts to stir communal tensions over Easter attacks probe
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
News6 days agoRelease of 2025 O/L results likely to be delayed
-
Sports6 days agoTharanga set for high-profile javelin clash in Ostrava
-
News6 days agoTheft of USD 2.5 mn from Treasury: CoPF accused of complicity in NPP cover-up
-
News5 days agoBeijing Capital Airlines to resume flights to Colombo signalling boost to tourism
-
Features4 days agoKilling of Colombo’s ancient trees — a warning on UN’s World Desertification Day – 17 June
-
Opinion6 days agoDecoding Trump’s 12.5% “Forced Labor Tariff” on Sri Lanka
-
Opinion6 days agoPalm leaf manuscripts of Sri Lanka – Part V
-
News1 day agoCreditor not yet paid