Sri Lanka recall Hasaranga for today’s decisive third ODI

Sri Lanka Captain Charith Asalanka will have his key white ball spinner 

Wanindu Hasaranga in the side for today’s decisive ODI

• Asalanka defends RPICS pitch: England didn’t complain when they were shot out for 156 in 2023 WC
• Sri Lanka has not lost a bilateral ODI series at home since 2021

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Having rested him from the first two ODIs, Sri Lanka has recalled their key white ball spinner Wanindu Hasaranga for the decisive third and final ODI against England at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium today.

The three-match series is on the line with both teams having won a game each and Sri Lanka who has not lost a bilateral ODI series at home since losing 2-1 to India in July 2021 would want to keep that proud record intact. From England’s view point they need a series win badly to carry the confidence into the T20I series and the T20 World Cup. Since the 2023 Cricket World Cup, England have won just one out of seven bilateral ODI series.  

No doubt Hasaranga adds that cutting edge to the team with his tantalysing leg-spin that has won many matches for his country. He will be the focal point against England, especially Joe Root who has scored two back-to-back fifties in the two matches played so far, and has been the cornerstone of England’s batting.

“He is one of the best batsmen in the world and if you take their batting line up, he is the most experienced,” said Sri Lanka Captain Charith Asalanka at the pre-match press conference.

“He has scored more than 20,000 runs in international cricket. It’s a challenge. We are also looking at ways to get him out early. The first ODU although Root scored runs, we won. It will be a big factor. If we do our basics right and set up a good platform, we will be able to win.”

England spinner Liam Dawson also spoke highly of Root. “To be that successful and dominate in world cricket the number of years he’s played is phenomenal. He is one of the greats of the game and the other night the way he played showed how classy he is in these conditions.”

With Hasaranga’s inclusion at the expense of seamer Dilshan Madushan, Sri Lanka will be spin heavy for today’s game. Hasaranga will be joined by leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay, left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage and off-spinners Dhananjaya de Silva and Asalanka, leaving Asitha Fernando as the only seamer who will probably open the bowling with the medium pace of Janith Liyanage.

Asalanka is aware that unlike in the past today’s players are more capable of playing spin in the subcontinent.

“Present day teams have adapted to playing spin in the subcontinent. They have improved their game by playing in the leagues. If you take a player like Adil Rashid, he has played in over 150 matches compared to our spinners and has a lot of experience. It will be a good contest tomorrow.”

In the first two games Sri Lanka had won the toss and batted first.

“The record at RPICS shows that the team that bats first has won most matches. But there are two sides to it. Sometimes if dew sets in the pitch can settle down. We didn’t experience it in the first two matches. Also, the pitch after 50 overs have been bowled on it tends to assist spin. To take advantage of that is why we win the toss and bat first,” said Asalanka.

The Lankan captain defended the RPICS pitch prepared for the second ODI which was criticised by both the England Captain Harry Brook and senior batsman Joe Root as one of the worst.

“That is his (Brook’s) opinion but it can vary with others. If he says this is the worst wicket he has ever played on, it was a wicket where 442 runs were scored. He has only to reflect back on the 2023 World Cup game at Bengaluru where England was bowled out for 156. No one complained about the wicket then. I don’t know the reason behind why he voiced his concern now.”

As regards the dot ball percentage, Asalanka said, “The dot ball percentage anyway will be more when you play on surfaces of this nature because strike rotation is difficult. But that cannot be taken as an excuse. We must either cover it by scoring boundaries or increase the intake of singles and twos.”

For this series as well as the T20Is Sri Lanka has recalled Dhananjaya de Silva to bat in the top four.

“The selectors were of the view that his bowling was important to our plans,” said Asalanka. “There is a big advantage to having a cricketer like him of whom we can make use of bowling 10 overs. He took two wickets in the last game. I personally think he can contribute more for us with the bat if he can convert his starts into 80s and 100s. With his bowling and fielding he is an important cog in the team.”

Having to work hard on pitches that hardly help spin in England, Dawson said, “On these pitches you can allow the ball to do the work for you unlike on flatter pitches where you’ve got to vary your pace a little bit more and change the lines up.”