Sri Lanka slipped back into Abu Dhabi late Monday, top of Group ‘B’ in the Asia Cup after their scrappy win over Hong Kong. But despite the points on the board, the bus ride was as silent as a dressing room after a batting collapse. The players knew full well there was little to be proud about.
If their opening win over Bangladesh had been a textbook chase, the Hong Kong fixture was more like a scratchy net session. Five dropped catches kept Sri Lanka afloat, yet they still contrived to turn a routine pursuit of 150 into a cliff-hanger. Four wickets for eight runs left them wobbling before Wanindu Hasaranga took the side to safety.
The strip may have favoured spinners, but that was no excuse for the lacklustre bowling and the shoddy chase. On such surfaces, former champions should be knocking off the runs in 16 overs, not limping home by the skin of their teeth.
At the heart of the unease sits Kusal Janith Perera. KJP is the spark plug of this line-up, when he clicks, Sri Lanka cruises. He reminded the world of his pedigree with a hundred in New Zealand earlier this year, but too many of his recent knocks have been casual wafts rather than commanding statements.
The only survivor from Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup triumph 11 years ago, KJP should be the wise old head. Instead, he has been guilty of rash strokes. Against Hong Kong, he ran out the in-form Pathum Nissanka before perishing next ball with an ill-advised sweep. The slide began there. Against Bangladesh too, with the finish line in sight, he gave it away meekly when simply knocking it around would have done.
In Harare earlier this month, similar lapses saw him axed. His recall brought impact, but the selectors are again scratching their heads. Slow in the field and error-prone with the bat, their Hobson’s choice has been to summon Janith Liyanage for the final group clash.
To be fair, the blame cannot rest solely with KJP. If the openers fail, the middle order appears like deer in the headlights, guilty of losing wickets in clusters. Dot ball pressure mounts and instead of milking singles, batters go for broke and pay the price. It’s an old flaw in Sri Lanka’s T20 DNA and with the World Cup looming, time is running out to iron out these creases.
For Sri Lanka to go deep in this Asia Cup and beyond, KJP must bat like the man who once lit up the World Cup, not like someone throwing his wicket away in a backyard hit-about. The team needs him firing on all cylinders, all guns blazing.
Rex Clementine in Dubai
from The Island https://ift.tt/ZToat5G
No comments:
Post a Comment