Dasun Shanaka’s got 99 problems, and the pitch is also one. If cricket writers misappropriating Jay Z lyrics from 22 years ago is getting kind of old, so is the complaint, sadly. For years now, Sri Lanka’s captains have been campaigning to get more batting-friendly tracks on the island. For years now, surfaces have been given to substantial spin, depressing totals while envenoming spinners through the middle overs, especially.

At the World Cup, though, a struggling Sri Lankan captain hopes his batters can perform on what he thinks will be better tracks. Sri Lanka arrive at this tournament fresh from a 3-0 bruising at home at the hands of England. Shanaka’s own returns in that recent series were modest. His scores were 20 off 16, 1 and 4.

“I think in this World Cup the ICC has told the groundstaff that they have to leave a certain amount of grass on the pitch,” Shanaka said. “Because of that, I think the number of dismissals will fall. Eventually, I’d like to get a good track on which to show how I can bat, because it’s harder to showcase my striking ability on turning wickets. Lots of people see me negatively because of this.”

Not many are giving Sri Lanka a fighting chance in this World Cup after being handed a 3-0 whitewash by England on the eve of the tournament. Yet, with a core that has been together for five years and the comfort of home conditions under their spikes, they will quietly fancy sneaking into the second round at the very least. The campaign gets underway on Sunday when they lock horns with Ireland at the RPS.

After the opener, the former champions shift base to Kandy where Oman await on February 12, followed by the heavyweight bout against Australia. They then return to Colombo to face Zimbabwe in the final group fixture. Apart from the Aussies, the other three sides sit below Sri Lanka in the rankings, reason enough for the hosts to believe they can punch above their recent weight.

Ideally, the team would have liked to go in with a settled deck. The chopping and changing of selectors and captain has hardly gone down well with the public, although Charith Asalanka’s excesses left the authorities with something of a Hobson’s choice. Whether they should have held their nerve until the World Cup was done and dusted instead of twisting the knife remains a question that refuses to go away.

Dasun Shanaka, the man recalled to replace Asalanka, has been around this block before and rarely set the field alight as leader. What he brings to the table is well known, as are his frailties with the bat, particularly against wrist spin. Should he fail to strike form, the selectors may be forced into a 2014-style déjà vu, leaving the captain cooling his heels outside the playing XI. The trouble is, there is no obvious skipper in waiting to take the reins if that storm breaks.

The panel has also copped flak for plucking Dhananjaya de Silva out of thin air. It is widely believed his recall came at the behest of a fast-bowling guru who has now begun offering batting sermons as well. That is precisely why a selection committee needs a spine of its own, rather than dancing to every passing tune.

Sri Lanka had been making steady, if unspectacular, strides in white ball cricket without exactly setting the stage ablaze. Their blueprint was clear, big runs from Pathum Nissanka at the top, Matheesha Pathirana creating mayhem with his slingy darts and a spin attack marshalled by Wanindu Hasaranga. With that backbone, a few rubs of the green might have made them serious dark horses. Instead, they pressed the panic button with the World Cup on the doorstep and now appear a touch disjointed and disoriented.

What tilts the scales in their favour is a gentle runway – fixtures against Ireland and Oman before they enter the sharp end against Australia. For now, the fans seem to have voted with their feet, but one statement win over the Aussies could have them flocking back in droves. After all, it’s a funny old game.

by Rex Clementine