Sports
Where Sri Lanka tripped in the WTC race
by Rex Clementine
As the World Test Championship (WTC) inches toward its climax with South Africa and Australia locking horns in the finals, it’s time for Sri Lanka to rummage through the wreckage and figure out where the wheels came off. This was no ordinary campaign – it was a rollercoaster ride with breathtaking highs and gut-wrenching lows. A series win against the Aussies would crown Sri Lanka’s effort with a third-place finish, leaving fans asking themselves, “What if?” But as the old adage goes, there’s no use crying over spilt milk – especially when the cow’s long gone.
Sri Lanka’s troubles started right at the launch pad, losing 2-0 at home to Pakistan. The team seemed adrift, moving like a ship without a rudder. Planning was so poor like successive governments that are simply unable to take on Dudley Sirisena, who dictates the price of rice in this country.
And Pakistan? They didn’t exactly set the world on fire – they just capitalized on Sri Lanka’s comedy of errors. Sloppy fielding gave the visitors one lifeline too many, while the batting unit collapsed faster than a house of cards in a hurricane. It was a sorry spectacle, to put it mildly.
If poor fielding and batting weren’t enough, the selectors added to the circus. The decision to persist with Dimuth Karunaratne as captain – despite his clear intention to step down – was baffling. Dhananjaya de Silva should have taken the reins before the new cycle. Instead, the selectors played musical chairs with leadership, leaving the team in limbo. But as they say, too many cooks spoil the soup – and the selectors seemed to be stirring the pot with a blindfold on.
To make matters worse, Kamindu Mendis, one of the most promising talents, was left cooling his heels on the sidelines. It was like leaving a star chef in the kitchen while serving microwave meals. Anyway the batting was not covering itself in glory and there was a perfect opportunity for Kamindu to be drafted in.
Sri Lanka started 2024 on the basement of the table and what they achieved since is outstanding.
The turnaround, when it came, was remarkable. The appointment of Upul Tharanga as head of selectors brought accountability and transparency—a breath of fresh air in a stuffy room. Enter Sanath Jayasuriya as head coach, whose hands-on approach injected energy and purpose into the squad. Together, they engineered a stunning revival, guiding Sri Lanka to three overseas Test wins – a rarity that had fans pinching themselves.
Then came the infamous hour of madness at Old Trafford. After winning the toss, Sri Lanka inexplicably chose to bat first in overcast conditions. What followed was a car crash of a session, with the team stumbling to 96 for six. While they fought valiantly to claw their way back, 50 extra runs could have turned the tide, boosting their chances for a spot in the finals and a historic series win in England. But alas, hindsight, like a rearview mirror, always shows the clearest picture.
One of the bright sparks in Sri Lanka’s campaign has been Kamindu Mendis. The man is a glue stick in human form – holding the innings together when wickets tumble like autumn leaves. Sure, Sri Lanka still has its share of batting collapses, but Kamindu’s knack for stitching partnerships with the tail has been a game-changer. His resilience has ensured the bowlers always have something to defend, however modest.
On the bowling front, Prabath Jayasuriya has been a revelation, weaving his web of spin to capture 49 wickets in the cycle – a number that could swell further against Australia. Meanwhile, seamers Asitha Fernando and Lahiru Kumara have risen to the occasion, delivering performances that Sri Lankan fast bowlers aren’t usually associated with. Asitha’s 34 wickets at an average of 28 and Kumara’s 30 scalps at 23 have added much-needed bite to the attack.
On the flip side, Dimuth Karunaratne has been a shadow of his former self, managing just four half-centuries in 11 Tests. For a player of his caliber, these numbers are as underwhelming as a flat soda. It’s hard to see him continuing into the next cycle, especially with younger players knocking on the door. He maybe not the only ex-captain on the way out.
This was Sri Lanka’s third WTC cycle and their closest brush with the finals. They’ve proven they have the mettle to compete with the big boys, but the Achilles’ heel remains their tendency to crumble under pressure. If they can plug the leaks – particularly the batting collapses – there’s no reason they can’t make a serious dent in the next cycle.
Heavy rain in Guwahati delayed the start of the match between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Mumbai Indians (MI) by more than two and a half hours. And when play finally began at 10.10 pm, there was another storm awaiting MI.
RR’s openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooriyavanshi ransacked 80 runs in five overs. Sooryavanshi was eventually dismissed for 39 off 14, but Jaiswal rampaged unbeaten through the 11-over innings, scoring 77 off 32 to power RR to 150 for 3.
In reply, MI lost three wickets inside the powerplay, which was reduced to 3.2 overs, and were eventually restricted to 123 for 9. Jofra Archer had provided the first breakthrough, and Sandeep Sharma, Nandre Burger and Ravi Bishnoi picked up two wickets apiece. RR moved to the top of the points table with three wins in three games, while MI suffered their second successive defeat.
Sooryavanshi and Jaiswal don’t need to be told to be aggressive, and that natural instinct was heightened in a rain-shortened contest. If there was any moisture in the pitch due to the weather, there was no evidence of it in the powerplay. MI chose to give the first over not to Trent Boult but to Deepak Chahar and Jaiswal tore into him: 4, 6, 4, 0, 4, 4.
Then came the highly-anticipated battle: 15-year old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi facing Jasprit Bumrah for the first time in his fledgling career. How would he approach one of the greatest bowlers in the game? Bumrah’s first ball was a slot ball. Sooryavanshi played the delivery and not the deliverer, and smashed it over the long-on boundary. The strike rotated back to him over the next two balls, and when Bumrah tested him with an off-pace delivery, Sooryavanshi swivelled and pulled him for another six over deep backward square leg. Round one – 13 off 5 balls – to Sooryavanshi.
Boult came on for the third over and Jaiswal cleared the deep square leg boundary twice and Sooryavanshi once, and by the time the 20-ball powerplay was finished, RR were 59 for 0.
Jaiswal is usually boom or bust against MI. Before this match, he had two centuries and five scores of less than 15 in eight innings against them. On Tuesday, he went boom again, smashing four fours and three sixes in his first nine deliveries. He got to fifty off 23 balls by cracking Hardik Pandya through point.
Sooryavanshi fell to the golden arm of Shardul Thakur, Dhruv Jurel and Riyan Parag fell to the mystery spin of AM Ghazanfar, but Jaiswal didn’t stop. He clobbered Bumrah for a straight six and picked three fours off Shardul in the final over to take RR to 150.
Like they had with the ball, MI suffered 20 balls of powerplay mayhem with the bat. Facing an asking rate of nearly 14, Ryan Rickelton swung Jofra Archer for six over deep midwicket but then top-edged another pull and was caught by Jurel running back. Suryakumar Yadav paddled Nandre Burger for the flattest of sixes over fine leg but was deceived by a hard-length offcutter and caught at deep backward square a ball later. Rohit was pinned lbw for the sixth time in 13 IPL innings by Sandeep. While RR’s powerplay score was 59 for 0; MI responded with 29 for 3.
The pitch had become a little tacky as the match progressed and the RR quicks adapted by using their cutters to good effect. Legspinner Ravi Bishnoi extended his lead at the top of the Purple Cap charts by dismissing Hardik and Tilak Varma in his first over, reducing MI to 46 for 5 after five overs. He should have had a third in his next over, when Sherfane Rutherford miscued to long-on but Jaiswal dropped the chance.
With the required rate soaring to past 17 an over, Naman Dhir and Rutherford tried to revive the chase with a partnership of 47 in 17 balls. But any slim hope MI may have had was extinguished when Sandeep dived forward at short third to take a low catch to end Rutherford’s innings. Burger, Sandeep and Archer closed out the innings to seal RR’s victory by 27 runs.
Brief scores: [11 overs per team]
Rajasthan Royals 150 for 3 in 11 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 77*, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 39, Riyan Parag 20; Shardul Thakur 1-36, AM Ghazanfar 2-21) beat Mumbai Indians 123 for 9 in 11 overs (Tilak Varma 14, Sherfane Rutherford 25, Naman Dhir 25; Jofra Archer 1-17, Nandre Burger 2-21, Sandeep Sharma 2-26, Tushar Deshpande 1-29, Ravi Bishnoi 2-25) by 27 runs
[Cricinfo]
Sri Lanka have turned to seasoned Australian campaigner Jammie Siddons to steady the ship and sharpen their edge, with the new women’s head coach making it clear that toppling heavyweights, not merely making up the numbers, will be the name of the game.
Siddons, a well-travelled coach with miles on the clock, has set his sights firmly on the upcoming Women’s World Cup in England, where Sri Lanka will open proceedings against the hosts at Edgbaston in June. It’s a baptism by fire, England in their own backyard, but the message from the dressing room is simple: try and beat top teams regularly.
Drawn alongside England, West Indies, New Zealand, Ireland and Scotland in a six-team group, Sri Lanka know there’s little room for passengers. It’s sink or swim.
“The World Cup is our big focus and we’ve got some tough games coming up,” Siddons told reporters on the sidelines of a floodlit training session at the CCC. “England at home will be a hard nut to crack. West Indies and New Zealand are quality sides as well.”
Before the main event, Sri Lanka will have a dress rehearsal in Bangladesh, a chance to blood fresh faces.
“We’re heading to Bangladesh before the World Cup and that gives us an opportunity to look at some of the new players coming through,” Siddons added, casting an eye on the next crop.
Sri Lanka’s women have made steady strides over the past two years under Rumesh Rathnayake, but as any seasoned observer will tell you, fine margins often decide games at this level and there are still a few loose ends to tie up.
Fielding, particularly in the deep, has been their Achilles’ heel. Dropped catches have cost them dear, while a lack of firepower with the bat has meant they’ve often been caught playing catch-up against the game’s heavyweights; Australia, England and India.
“From a bowling perspective, we need a few more tricks in the bag. The girls have to develop variations, slower balls, cutters and cut down the boundaries. That’s something we’ve been working on,” he said, underlining the need to outthink rather than outmuscle opponents.
For years, Sri Lanka have leaned heavily on the broad shoulders of Chamari Atapattu, their talisman, their match-winner, their go-to player when the chips are down. Siddons knows that while Chamari remains the crown jewel, cricket is no one-woman show.
“She’s our major player and we’ve depended a lot on her,” he admitted. “But we need a few more to put their hands up. Chamari still has plenty to offer.”
Encouragingly, Siddons has already spotted bright talents in the pace department, a rare commodity in the women’s game in Sri Lanka.
“I’ve seen a couple of very exciting fast bowling talents who haven’t played much yet. They could be key for us,” he said, hinting at new-ball options that could ruffle a few feathers.
Off the field, Sri Lanka Cricket has invested heavily over the last five years, the board has cast the net wide taking the game to schools, strengthening domestic competitions and ensuring a steady pipeline of talent.
There has been no shortage of cricket either, with bilateral series home and away giving players valuable time in the middle. The Under-19 side is currently cutting its teeth in Australia, while development squads are being kept busy with regular tours and fixtures.
Central contracts and match fees are now part of the furniture, a far cry from the hand-to-mouth existence of yesteryear, though there remains room for improvement.
An absorbing contest is on the cards during the morning session on the final day as the next 28 overs are likely to decide the finalist from the first semi final of the Under 19 Division I Tier ‘A’ tournament between St. Joseph’s College and Prince of Wales College at the D.H.H. Ground, Madampella today.
The semi-final moved towards a tense first innings finish after Prince of Wales reached 242 for five at stumps on the second day in reply to St. Joseph’s commanding first innings total of 354.
Open batsman Thusindu Deemantha played a remarkable innings of patience and determination, remaining unbeaten on 102 to keep the Cambrians’ hopes alive. His knock clearly reflected Prince of Wales’ strategy of batting for first innings points against the strong Darley Road outfit.
Deemantha displayed admirable grit to anchor the innings, facing as many as 248 deliveries during his stay at the crease. His unbeaten century included eight boundaries and he is set to resume his innings for a third consecutive day today after having first walked in to bat on Monday evening.
From the outset it was evident that Prince of Wales were aiming to stretch their innings as long as possible in pursuit of first innings advantage. According to tournament regulations, the first innings is restricted to 120 overs and the Cambrians now have 28 overs remaining to surpass the Josephian total.
St. Joseph’s bowlers will be eager to make early breakthroughs and expose the lower order to their formidable spin trio of Vigneswaran Akash, Vishwa Peiris and Nushan Perera. The three spinners dominated proceedings on the second day, accounting for 76 of the 92 overs bowled to Prince of Wales.
While Nushan Perera and Vishwa Peiris maintained tight control with economy rates below 2.5 runs per over, Akash bowled his 20 overs for just over three runs an over. Peiris was the most successful among them with two wickets.
For Prince of Wales, Oshan Maneesha contributed a valuable 38 runs while Gavesha Fernando played an important supporting role. Fernando joined Deemantha in a crucial 108-run fourth wicket partnership that steadied the innings and carried the Cambrians closer to the Josephian total.
With Deemantha firmly set at the crease and the Cambrians still needing to close the gap, the opening session today promises a gripping battle as both teams fight for a place in the final. (RF)
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