by Rex Clementine

When the big three; Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and T.M. Dilshan retired around the same time six years ago, we expected the transition to take two or maybe three years and young players to fill their big shoes. However, the transition took longer than we expected. Injuries, a fragile First Class tournament, vast gap between domestic and international cricket have seen our cricket being pushed to the doldrums. Sri Lanka’s rankings in international cricket dropped at an alarming rate. The team’s current position of seventh in Tests, ninth in ODIs and eighth in T20s sums up the sorry state of affairs. Regular finalists in ICC events are now forced to play qualifying rounds. However, there was light at the end of the tunnel in 2021. New talents emerged and the future looks bright.

Last year was the year of debutants. Despite some drawbacks, the selectors need to be commended for backing several young players. Many of them came good and are looking set to take on bigger responsibilities.

Among the debutants that Sri Lanka had in 2021, there were five standouts. Who are they, how well they fared in 2021 and what can we expect from them moving forward?

Pathum Nissanka

Young Pathum Nissanka’s story has been celebrated by everyone who cares for Sri Lankan cricket. As a schoolboy, having received a scholarship from Kalutara Vidyalaya to Isipathana College, Colombo he struggled to make ends meet. From the humblest of beginnings, the top order batsman has gone onto become a household name. He rewrote record books this year by becoming the first Sri Lankan to score a hundred on debut overseas.

Pathum looked a player ideally suited for Test match cricket. But on the recommendations of former skipper Mahela Jayawardene who joined the national team set up as a consultant coach ahead of the T-20 World Cup in UAE, the selectors took a gamble by drafting him into the T-20 squad and made him to open the innings. He was a revelation. He was told to do a Marvan Atapattu; bat through the innings while others looked for boundaries.

Not only did he bat through the innings, his primarily responsibility, but by doing so he produced match winning scores as well. His maturity during the recent West Indies series where he made three half-centuries in four innings gives us the assurance that Sri Lanka has found the perfect partner for skipper Dimuth Karunaratne.

Praveen Jayawickrama

While young Pathum was plying his trade at Kalutara Vidyalaya, a few meters away Praveen Jayawickrama was his rival at Holy Cross College. A classical left-arm orthodox spinner, who bowls with superb control, Praveen grabbed his opportunity with both hands when he was called up to Kandy as injury replacement to face Bangladesh in April.

Leading spinner Lasith Embuldeniya was injured and the selectors opted for Prabath Jayasuriya. But he failed the skinfolds test making him ineligible for selection. Backing Praveen, with just a handful of First Class games behind him, was a huge call especially against a side like Bangladesh that played spin well. But he bowled Sri Lanka to victory claiming 11 wickets on debut.

If Praveen works on a few variations he will be quite handful even when conditions do not offer much assistance.

Ramesh Mendis

Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda produce sporting talents in abundance. A lot of people seem to back Ramesh as an all-rounder because he has scored a triple hundred in First Class cricket. But do not get too excited about players achievements in First Class cricket. As an off-spinner he can go places. Someone who never gives up, young Ramesh in four Tests has already picked up 26 wickets.

Given his insatiable hunger to learn and improve, you have seen Ramesh making steady progress this year and he was Player of the Series as Sri Lanka overcame West Indies 2-0 having claimed 18 wickets.

Bigger challenges await him when the national cricket team tour India in February and it will be a good learning experience. Even the greatest spinners of the sport be it Muttiah Muralitharan or Shane Warne have had their work cut out in India and it remains to be seen how young Mendis will take up the challenge. He has been so far used as the attacking option by his captain Dimuth Karunaratne but in India, he will have to do more of a containing role.

Maheesh Theekshana

St. Benedict’s have waited for several decades to produce a Sri Lankan cricketer and that drought ended when Maheesh Theekshana debuted against Proteas this year in a home bilateral series. During the World T-20 that followed, he was entrusted to bowl during the Power Plays and he did a terrific job.

Theekshana enlisted in the Army after leaving school and has been one of their key performers. Army has invested a lot in their cricket in recent times and they are producing some match winners for the national cricket team.

As of now, Theekshana is one dimensional and he needs to work on a stock ball and the accuracy of his variations. With a bit of mystery in him, he will be quite a handful when Sri Lanka tour Australia in February.

Charith Asalanka

Perhaps the brightest of all these talents has been Charith Asalanka. Richmond College, Galle under his leadership were a formidable outfit and he was the overwhelming choice as Sri Lanka Under-19 captain.

His elevation to the senior side took longer than most expected. An intelligent and shrewd captain, he maybe not the most elegant batsman around but certainly an effective young player.

Everyone was surprised when he finished the T-20 World Cup as the team’s highest run getter. He was not even in the team management’s original plans but was Hobson’s choice. His inclusion in the side gave Sri Lanka much needed impetus and suddenly despite being forced to play the qualifying round, many were talking of Sri Lanka as dark horses.

The most impressive thing about Charith has been that he is bold. Often when a young player comes into the side the fear factor gets the better of him. Charith throws caution to the wind. The way he put away Pat Cummins in the first ball he faced against the Aussies was a treat to watch. Kumar Sangakkara is a careful man and he chooses his words even more carefully. But when he anoints someone as his successor that means we are in for some serious business. Exciting times ahead.