Tharanga staying positive ahead of ODI series

By Malik Gunatilleke

Ahead of Sri Lanka’s One Day International series against India, starting in Dambulla on 20 August, newly-appointed team Captain Upul Tharanga stressed the importance of forgetting the abysmal performance against India in the Test series and looking forward positively to the ODIs.

Sri Lanka were beaten soundly in all three Test matches against India on home soil which Test Captain Diensh Chandimal described as the worst loss of his career. Sri Lanka’s last ODI series against Zimbabwe at home didn’t go to plan as well when Sri Lanka surrendered a home ODI series to Zimbabwe for the first time ever, prompting then Captain Angelo Mathews to step down. The Lankans however will be raring to win back some of its lost pride. The team will again comprise some fresh faces with the likes of Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, and Nuwan Kulasekera all out through injury.

Speaking at a press conference held yesterday at the Sri Lanka Cricket headquarters in Colombo, Tharanga stated that the contribution of the veteran players will be crucial in the upcoming series.

“We have Malinga back and with his skill and experience it will be an enormous strength to the team. I believe Angelo Mathews will also contribute with the ball which will provide much needed muscle to our lineup,” he said.

The India ODI series will be the first for Tharanga as full-time ODI Captain and he stressed the need for positivity at this time especially after the previous series.

Speaking about the addition of Thisara Perera into the fold, Chairman of the Selection Committee Sanath Jayasuriya stated that experience was key in the decision.

“He has proven himself in the past and even though he has also failed in some instances, we understand that as sportsmen you have ups and downs. He will be important for us considering his abilities as an all-rounder,” he said.

With the list of injuries faced by the national team over the last couple of series, the selectors have had no choice but to rotate the squad regularly. Jayasuriya stated that this was less than ideal for the selection committee but they had made the best with the resources on offer.

“We’ve had to deal with about 25 injuries even before the India series and you saw how many players got injured during those games. So it’s not easy for players to establish themselves. My job would be much easier if players played for 15 years and never got injured. I’m sure though that some would probably criticise me for not rotating the squad if that happened,” he said.

He also added that fast-bowling all-rounder Dasun Chanaka was being closely looked at for the ODI squad after having travelled with the T20 squads to Australia and South Africa.

Meanwhile, Interim Coach Nic Pothas stated that this was a watershed moment for Sri Lanka Cricket, stressing the fact that it was not the time to conduct a post-mortem on the Test series. Stating that there would be a time to review and reflect on the series, he hinted that media access to the team and administrators would be directly proportionate to the positivity of their reporting.

“I know bad news sells, but you guys play a huge role in the mindsets and confidence of the players based on what you put out there. You are an extension of us. We are more than happy to offer you time but I’ll probably put my neck out and say that the more positive you are, the more we’ll probably give you,” he stated.He added that they should consider it a start of a new era and assured that in two years the media and the fans would see a positive outcome.

Sri Lanka will play five ODIs against the Indians starting on Sunday as well as a T20 international afterwards.

Squad: Upul Tharanga (captain), Angelo Mathews, Niroshan Dickwella (wicketkeeper), Dhanushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Chamara Kapugedera, Milinda Siriwardana, Malinda Pushpakumara, Akila Dananjaya, Lakshan Sandakan, Thisara Perera, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lasith Malinga, Dushmantha Chameera, Vishwa Fernando