All eyes on Avishka as he debuts at No. 4 in T20

Avishka Fernando  

By Champika Fernando 

in Abu Dhabi

Avishka Fernando has played primarily as an opener in limited-over cricket or at number three. However, the swashbuckling stroke-maker seems to be enjoying his new role at number four, a batting position dominated by Aravinda de Silva and Mahela Jayawardena during their playing days.

It’s one of the crucial slots in cricket, as the batsmen need to adjust quickly to the match situation. For instance, when Sri Lanka lost both openers for just one run at the 1996 World Cup semi-final against India, de Silva played one of the great innings, launching a perfect counterattack and scoring a brisk 66 off 47 balls to take Sri Lanka out of trouble. In the finals, he took a measured approach, leading Sri Lanka’s historic win with an unbeaten 107* against Australia to lift the cup. Jayawardena, too, had played many significant knocks at this position, but his 103* against India in the World Cup final in 2011 was exceptional, given the pressure-cooker situation in the match.

In order to answer the current woes of the national team, the team think-tank, which includes Jayawardena as a Consultant to the national team, had made several changes to the batting order with Fernando being given the role of the anchor at number four. He seems to be enjoying his newfound freedom in that position.

“He takes time to settle, but once settled, he fires all cylinders,” a team source said, explaining their decision. 

“This is what we have seen during the last three games where he played as the number four batsman. He is one of prolific strokes-makers we have, but he needs time to settle. So, with the power-plays around, he cannot play his usual game as an opener, and this is why we have moved him to the number four position.”

Fernando is yet to bat in a high-octane game in his new position, but early signs are impressive with two half-centuries in only three innings. Against Oman, the former St. Sebastian College cricketer hit an unbeaten 83* in the first match and 33 in the second game. Against Bangladesh on Tuesday, he anchored the innings, sharing an unbroken 69-run stand with Chamika Karunaratne to lead Sri Lanka to a nervy win.

When Karunaratne joined Fernando, Sri Lanka were reeling at 79/6 in 12 overs, needing 69 runs off the remaining eight overs. When Sri Lanka reached the target, Fernando has scored 62* off 42 balls while Karunaratne has hit 29 off 25 balls. As an opener, he averages a little over 12, batting in 15 innings, and 14 at number three. Sri Lanka will play Papua New Guinea today in their last warm-up game before heading to the qualifying round.

Sri Lanka is grouped with Namibia, Ireland and the Netherlands in the group stage of the tournament where the top two teams will go through to the next round – the Super 12. The 2021 World Cup will be played in Oman and UAE with the final scheduled to be played on 14 November.