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By Madushka Balasuriya
Lasith Malinga has been included in the 13-man squad announced to face Zimbabwe in the first two ODIs, after pleading guilty to breach of contract.
Meanwhile, a potential debut is in the offing for 19-year-old Wanidu Hasaranga. Sri Lanka are set to host Zimbabwe for a five-match ODI series starting this Friday in Galle and a one-off Test match.
Malinga faced a disciplinary inquiry after making disparaging comments about Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera, whereby he called into question Jayasekera’s knowledge of cricketing affairs. However, having pleaded guilty to violating the terms of his contract, which states that he cannot speak to the media without the prior written consent of the Chief Executive Officer, Malinga was handed a one-year sentence, suspended by six months (whereby the punishment would be imposed in the event of a similar infraction within the stipulated six-month period) and fined 50% of his next ODI match fee. As a result, Malinga is now free to face Zimbabwe.
“In the future, if an issue arises where a player feels attacked, there is proper protocol to adhere to. They should first contact the board, where then we can contact the media and arrange for the player to share his side of the story,” said SLC President Thilanga Sumathipala at the pre-tour media briefing for Zimbabwe’s tour of Sri Lanka last evening.
Alongside Malinga, the squad will comprise two other fast bowlers in Nuwan Pradeep and Dushmantha Chameera, who returns to the international fray after a long injury layoff, while all-rounder Lahiru Madushanka also bowls medium-fast. Akila Dananjaya and Lakshan Sandakan are the two specialist spinners in the squad, while debutant Hasaranga is also capable of bowling leg spin.
Hasaranga has played just 12 first class matches, but with a high score of 116 and an average of 45.58, he’s made a blistering start to his senior career. He has also impressed with the ball picking up 16 wickets at an average of 24.68 with best bowling figures of 5/15. These efforts saw the youngster from Galle singled out for praise.
“Wanidu has been playing well and he is also one of the best fielders in Sri Lanka right now. He’s batting well and in form, and he is also an option with his leg-spin bowling. And we want to give some of these young guys chances playing with senior players,” said Team Manager Asanka Gurusinha.
While the rest of the squad is made up of specialist batsmen, several players who travelled to England for the Champions Trophy did not make the cut, the most notable exclusion being that of Chandimal. Sri Lanka’s top scorer in ODI cricket for 2016, Chandimal’s fall from grace has been swift, however Gurusinha explained that the move was purely based on the conditions in Galle for the first two ODIs, and that he was still firmly in their plans.
“We only selected the side for the first two games. We’re looking at different combinations and that is one of the reasons that we have selected this team to play in Galle. Galle wickets and conditions will be different to Hambantota. With Danushka [Gunathilaka] opening and batting well and Upul [Tharanga] coming in just after suspension, we went with that combination. So that’s the only reason that Dinesh was left out of these first two games.”
Full squad: Angelo Mathews (Captain), Upul Tharanga (Vice Captain), Niroshan Dickwella, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Asela Gunarathna, Wanidu Hasaranga, Lakshan Sandakan, Akila Dananjaya, Nuwan Pradeep, Lasith Malinga, Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Madushanka.
Pix by Indraratne Balasuriya
Nic Pothas has been confirmed as interim head coach of the Sri Lankan national team, Sri Lanka Cricket announced yesterday.
Pothas was previously the team’s fielding coach but after the abrupt resignation of Graham Ford, SLC have decided to place Pothas in the role up until the end of India’s tour of Sri Lanka in July.
“The board is quite confident that Nic will do the needful to take care of the team going forward,” said SLC President Thilanga Sumathipala at the pre-tour media briefing for Zimbabwe’s tour of Sri Lanka last evening.
Sumathipala also confirmed that Sri Lanka Cricket had formulated a shortlist of coaches to take the job on a permanent basis, with Pothas among the contenders.
“We have a strategic plan for selecting our next coach, and I must say that Nic Pothas is in the running as a good contender. There are other professional coaches who are currently engaged who have shown a lot of interest, and we’re confident that we will have a new coach in place after the end of the India tour.”
The Sri Lankan head coach position has been linked to Chandika Hathurusingha, the former Sri Lankan cricketer now doing a stellar job coaching Bangladesh. Asked if there were any Sri Lankan coaches in contention, Sumathipala confirmed in the affirmative, but explained that any coach that was hired would have to be suited to the current position that Sri Lanka cricket finds itself in.
“When we looked at Dav Whatmore. He was a developing coach who could improve us into a top-class team. There are coaches who are very good at looking after a team that is already at a high level. The challenge Heath Streak has as Zimbabwe coach is totally different to the one faced by a Sri Lankan head coach, which itself will be different to an Indian head coach.”
SLC President Thilanga Sumathipala yesterday went out to bat for national players taking part in lucrative T20 competitions such as the IPL, seemingly in response to Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera’s comments calling into question the commitment to the national cause of such players.
“For a player to play in a foreign league they must first receive an NOC (no objection certificate) from SLC, so it’s clear that the board must give approval. If the national team is playing during that time then the player is expected to return, like Angelo Mathews did recently before the Champions Trophy.
“You can’t say that tournaments such as the IPL are a bad thing, and SLC actually appreciates them because the game is played at a very high standard; to even get picked for those teams you have to be playing at a certain level. Unfortunately, there is an opinion out there among the public that players who play in the IPL are not as committed to the national team, that is wrong.”
Jayasekera last week referred to how some players “go to play in India for the money”, intimating that players were giving priority to the IPL over the national side. Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews wading in on the topic revealed that the Sports Minister had spoken to him and cleared the air over the comments.
“The Minister spoke to me over the phone and assured me that he didn’t make such a statement. It is a huge honour to play for the country and we give 200% for the national team,” said Mathews. “I didn’t bowl for the team during the Champions Trophy because the team management, fitness coach and medical committee said that it would be risky to do so. It was not in the IPL that I got injured; it was in a warm-up match against Australia. In fact during the IPL I left 14 days early to train with the team ahead of the Champions Trophy.”
Meanwhile, when responding to a question about Sri Lanka having a T20 league of its own, Sumathipala revealed that there would definitely be one in 2018 but only after all due diligence had been carried out.
“The main issue with T20 leagues is that once all the costs are accounted for it’s not hugely profitable. A Sri Lanka Premier League however is definitely in the pipeline and we are planning on launching it next year. It will definitely also be in the T20 format.”
