Sports
Captain Dasun has helped Sri Lanka turn things around
by Rex Clementine
Cricket’s most successful captains had some remarkable factors that made them successful leaders. Mike Brearley was a good thinker. Clive Lloyd was inspirational. Imran Khan had a good eye for picking talent. Arjuna Ranatunga was a fighter and two of his prodigies Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Jayawardene had factors unique to them. While Sanath led by example, MJ was a brilliant tactician. All successful players don’t become good captains either. Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar and Inzamam-ul-Haq are cases in point.
Sri Lanka’s white-ball captain Dasun Shanaka has been the subject of discussions by cricket analysts for turning the fortunes of an inexperienced, young and underperforming Sri Lankan team into a successful unit. Last week he sealed the fate of Bangladesh and Afghanistan in the Asia Cup and this week he provided another shock when India were sent home packing. What makes him successful?
Dasun wasn’t the choice to lead Sri Lanka when the national selection panel benched half a dozen seniors two years ago. He wasn’t even the deputy. Kusal Perera turned out to be the chosen one with Kusal Mendis as his deputy. The selectors argued that KJP was the only player in the team who was sure of a place. That argument is ancient. When you try to be progressive, you don’t stick to age-old theories. For a selection panel that had been ruthless in leaving out so many seniors, they needed an equally aggressive captain. When you have revamped a team you needed a new direction.
KJP is one of the nicest blokes you’d come across in cricket, but his leadership qualities were found wanting. To start with he was injury prone. He’s also a bit of an introvert. The new captain found himself in a bit of a storm following the contract crisis coupled with injuries and that experiment didn’t last long.
Dasun had become captain by default with the team in total chaos. A heavy defeat in England in 2021 saw commentators ridiculing the team and to make matters worse three players were sent home for breaching COVID protocol. When Dasun agreed to take the captaincy it was demanded that he signed contracts. He agreed. This was a gamble and perhaps angered some of the players who were on the war path with the board. He was on a tightrope. The initial few series were tough but he gradually turned things around.
Dasun-Mickey Arthur combination worked well. Although their disagreements were once seen in public the duo were quick to patch things up and move forward. They picked young players and backed them and more importantly persevered when things were falling apart.
“Dasun is special in that he has great belief in himself and empowers the team. He leads by example in his performance, training and practice and has the ability to take people on the journey with him,” Arthur told Sunday Island.
As captain, he’s not the sharpest guy when it comes to tactics. His strength is his focus and getting others to focus. He’s also not the most naturally talented player. He’s one of the fiercest hitters in the team but his defence can be breached. The best thing that has happened to Dasun the batsman is he has identified his strong areas and sticks to them. You don’t see him cutting, but you’ll see him clearing the boundary with straight hits or pulling over mid-wicket. Those are strokes that he has mastered and they fetch most of his runs.
As a bowler, he doesn’t cover himself in glory. Again, his strength is that he puts in the hard yards and wants to improve. Those are Dasun’s strong points. Since Sri Lanka won the Asia Cup in 2014, it’s been all downhill in white ball cricket. Leave alone winning tournaments, the team is nowadays struggling to qualify for events like the World Cup. Dasun has given new hope to the nation with his unique leadership qualities. He needs to be backed.
Chamari Athapaththu is set to miss the final phase of the WPL for UP Warriorz (UPW) to join Sri Lanka on a white-ball tour of New Zealand starting March 4 in Napier. Athapaththu’s departure will be the second big blow for UPW who are already without their full-time captain Alyssa Healy because of injury.
ESPNcricinfo has learnt that as of now, Athapaththu is going to be available for UPW until February 26, which is four more games for them, before she tends to national duties. After their game on February 26, against Mumbai Indians in Bengaluru, UPW will fly to Lucknow for the final league phase of the tournament where they will play three home matches. They left Athapaththu out of the XI in the clash they lost to Gujarat Giants.
Athapaththu was named captain of Sri Lanka’s 16 member side released by SLC on Monday and the squad is scheduled to leave for New Zealand on February 22 for three ODIs and as many T20Is.
Allrounder Amelia Kerr is the only New Zealand player in the WPL this season and she, unlike Athapaththu, is going to miss the bilateral series next month to play the entire WPL, including the knockouts if MI qualify for those again. If MI make it to the final, scheduled for March 15, Kerr will also miss the first two T20is slotted for March 14 and 16 in Christchurch. Last year too, Kerr had skipped the home bilateral T20Is against England to be available for the entire duration of the WPL.
In 2024, the calendar clash between the final leg of WPL and the T20I series in New Zealand had become a much bigger issue when England captain Heather Knight (RCB) and Lauren Bell (UPW) had opted out of WPL completely to represent their national team. Coincidentally, Athapaththu had replaced Bell for UPW then.
However, since then boards like the ECB have assured their players they won’t schedule international games during the WPL, which is set to move from the current February-March window to January-February 2026 onwards, according to the new women’s Future Tours Programme (FTP). To avoid such clashes between international series and other T20 leagues, the Hundred (August) and the WBBL (November) have also been given separate windows in the FTP that runs till 2029.
[Cricinfo]
Sri Lanka Masters will lock horns with their Australian counterparts today in the semi-finals of the Over-50 Masters World Cup at the Mercantile Cricket Association grounds in Colombo – 7. The other semi-final will see England take on Pakistan across the wall at NCC. The grand final set to be played at the P. Sara Oval on Sunday.
Led by Shane Fernando and coached by Harsha de Silva, the Sri Lankan team has been a formidable presence in the tournament.
Organized by International Masters Cricket (IMC)—an Australia-based body dedicated to senior cricket—the body promotes four age group categories, ranging from Over-40s to Over-70s.
This year’s tournament has brought together 14 nations: Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, England, Wales, UAE, Canada, USA and the West Indies and caters for over 50 players. Sri Lanka Masters have consistently participated across all age-group World Cups, underscoring their commitment to veterans’ cricket.
Previous editions of the tournament were hosted in Sydney and Cape Town. The Colombo leg commenced earlier this month, with the 14-team event broadcast live globally. In total, 56 matches were scheduled, with each innings comprising 45 overs.
Veterans’ cricket continues to gain popularity worldwide, promoting fitness, camaraderie, and a love for the game well beyond the professional years. This tournament not only offers intense competition but also serves as a testament to the sport’s enduring appeal. However, despite its significance, the Masters World Cup struggles with limited sponsorship, relying largely on self-funding and a restricted budget to stay afloat.
Sri Lanka squad:
Saman Jayantha, Rory Ingram, Indika de Saram, Ruvin Peiris (Vice-Captain), Russell Ingram, Shane Fernando (Captain), Upul Chandana, Suwanji Madanayake, Duminda Somaweera, Dilshan Amarasinghe, Ravi Perera, Dillon Fernandesz, Priyantha Rajapaksha, Chaminda Rajapaksha, Punyakantha Abeygunasekara, Renuka Nonis, Pujitha Uduwana, and Daminda Wijesekara.
Sri Lanka team for the South Asian Cross Country Championships were scheduled to leave for Pakistan early morning today. The twice postponed championship will be held in Islamabad on Sunday. The team for this championship was selected early last year.
(Seated from left) S.P. Wasantha Kumara (Team Manager), Janz Dissanayake (Coach). (Back row from left)· W.M.N.G. Abeyrathne (Senior), W.H.K. Madhushan (Junior), R.A.D. Hemantha Kumara (Senior), W. Vakshan (Senior), R. Vidushan (Junior),
S. Thudiharshidan (Junior)
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