Thisara named captain for India ODIs, T20s

ODI and T20 International Captain Thisara Perera and Chief Executive Officer Ashley de Silva at the news briefing yesterday - Pic by Shehan Gunasekara

By Madushka Balasuriya

Thisara Perera will lead Sri Lanka’s ODI team in the three-match series against India beginning December 10. 

It will be the 28-year-old allrounder’s first experience of the role in 50-over international cricket, though he was in charge of a depleted T20I side that took on Pakistan at Gaddafi stadium last month. He will retain command of the side in the shortest format in India.

“Captaining Sri Lanka has been a dream since childhood, and I’m thankful to have received this opportunity,” said Perera at a media briefing.

“All teams go through tough patches, it’s up to each of us to get past our mental barriers and perform the best for our country. The goal for each one of us is to bring glory to our country. I can confidently say that although India are currently the best in the world in all three formats, if you compare each player of our team with any player in the world [not only India] we are second to none.

“As captain I don’t plan on dwelling on past failures, instead we should to march forward together. I believe that if each player can perform to his individual potential, we can easily win this series.”

Thisara’s role as captain however looks for the time being only guaranteed for the India series, with management stating that the role of captain will be evaluated on a series by series basis going forward until a long-term appointment can be made. 

With Angelo Mathews having relinquished captaincy duties and Dinesh Chandimal’s position in the limited overs unit a persistent doubt, the unusual stance taken by SLC not to name a long-term captain with the World Cup less than years away speaks towards Sri Lanka’s lack of outright leaders in the camp.

SLC, however, have been impressed with Thisara’s commanding of a young outfit when several first-choice players expressed reluctance to travel to Lahore, with SLC CEO Ashley De Silva noting that it was Perera’s “aggressive” captaincy that had caught their attention.

“The selectors noticed that he got a lot of support from the players during the T20 series in the UAE and Pakistan, and we expect the same support and cooperation to be extended by the players. We felt that he carried out his duties very effectively, and he was also a very aggressive captain. So I think when it comes to ODIs and T20s that is what’s required and the selectors have identified his capabilities.”

Chairman of Selectors Graeme Labrooy added: “We are keen to implement our selection policy across the board in all aspects of the game, and Thisara’s appointment is one such move. We believe this is the leadership skillset the team needs right now, and have made this decision specifically with our long-term goals in mind.”

Thisara has played 125 ODIs since his debut in December 2009, with a formidable strike-rate of 109 but an average of only 17. As a bowler, he has taken 133 wickets at 32.62 apiece. His form in recent series, though, has come under some scrutiny. Thisara made only 91 runs - at 18.20 - and picked up a mere four wickets in the ODIs against Pakistan and followed that with 19 runs and three wickets across three T20Is.

Thisara, while acknowledging his poor run of form in limited overs cricket, pointed to his success in franchise T20 cricket as well as recent exploits with the World XI for the reasons behind his selection, and expressed hope that the added responsibility of captaincy would signal an upturn in form and consistency going forward.

“Even though I’ve played less than half of the limited overs matches the team has played in 2017, I’ve played a lot of cricket abroad in that time. It’s with those performances in tow that I returned to play for Sri Lanka.

“Yes, my performance level has been low and I have been in and out of the team. But now as captain I am a permanent member of the team, so I hope that means I’ll be able to perform better going forward.”

Sri Lanka’s limited-overs cricket has undergone plenty of upheaval this year. They lost an ODI series for the first time to Zimbabwe, which prompted Angelo Mathews to resign. Upul Tharanga was then appointed captain, but on his watch Sri Lanka were whitewashed 5-0 at home by India and 5-0 away by Pakistan.

The team was beaten 5-0 in South Africa as well when Tharanga had been a stand-in captain. His batting form, however, was one of the few bright spots during this period. Tharanga carried his bat, scoring 112 not out against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi, and also flayed 119 off only 90 balls against a South African attack in Cape Town. 

Tharanga’s demotion however seems unlikely to affect his place in the team, with SLC stating that the move was primarily a strategic decision.

“Quite contrary to the baseless speculation on social media sites, Tharanga has not failed us in any way, we want him to keep making big scores and we want him to concentrate on his game without burdening him with the captaincy, this is merely a strategic move, and we have discussed it with Tharanga too, who being the 100% team player he is, understands our reasoning and requirement,” said Labrooy.

Thisara is the seventh man to captain Sri Lanka in 2017, following Mathews, Lasith Malinga, Rangana Herath, Dinesh Chandimal and Chamara Kapugedera who have borne the responsibility in one format or another.