The 3rd ODI – and the final match of Sri Lanka’s tour of England – ended in a washout. The first innings reached its premature conclusion when the tourists were bowled out for 166, with more than eight overs left unused. Then, the Rain Gods finally decided to end the Sri Lankan nightmare before the Englishmen could pull off a clean sweep of 6-0.
While the series was fairly one-sided, here are some key takeaways for the tourists:
Their white-ball team is, umm, not that good
It was ironical that the Sri Lankan team scored their lowest total of the ODI series, and still came out with their best (non-)result of the tour in its final match. For the most part, their bowlers appeared to be decent, even though they might have been pretending while the batters climbed down from one low to the other. None of the players in the side has an average above 40, which betrays the inexperience of their side.
In the six LOI matches played on this tour, Sri Lanka batted first on five occasions. Each time, their top order let the initiative go before the fans had even gotten the opportunity to adequately warm their seats. This was the first time the grounds were opened to the general public. But the spectators could have almost mistaken their tickets to be for a mismatched charity event between their home side and a team of unenthusiastic fifth graders.
The promotion of Hasaranga seemed to have given some weight to their middle order. Yet, he was often plunged into the deep end of rescue acts. In the ODI series, their Powerplay scores read 47 for 3, 47 for 4 and 45 for 4. They never had a solid foundation to build upon, and as a result, they’ve come away from the series asking more questions about their first eleven than answers.
And yes, about their first eleven …
… You’ve heard the news, one hopes? It spoke a lot about the form of their players that the most exciting headline of the series came through when three of their players – Kusal Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella and Danushka Gunathilaka – were filmed at Durham’s Market Square.
Strolling around a desolate bench and having a discreet smoke wouldn’t be the oddest finding of the hour during a cricketing tour to England. Except for, of course, the fact that this series took place in the middle of the pandemic. A bio-bubble breach for enjoying a mundane view of the English weather was as hard-headed as the creative direction Dickwella usually takes with his sledges.
Once the offence came to light, the trio was sent back on the first flight home. The situation could have developed into something much more serious in medical terms. But their good fortune in terms of health was the diametric opposite of their professional fates. They’ve been banned from cricket for a year, which leaves their side in a rather precarious position.
While this might seem like a harsh penalty, it gains an ironic undertone when you realise that the punishment was meted out by the SLC – infamously, the most incompetent cricket board amongst all the Test-playing nations.
The few positives
The management was surprisingly consistent with their selections, even though they were not rewarded for it in the short term. By far, their best player is Wanindu Hasaranga. He’s a utility player who has only grown since his impressive one-man show in the Test series against England last summer.
His returns become even more flattering in comparison to what the rest of the team turned up with (in terms of both their numbers and their non-dyed, boring haircuts). His bowling economy was 6.72 in the T20 series against a bruising English batting line-up, while his batting acumen shone through in the ODI series: he top-scored with 54 at No6, compiling during a rearguard partnership with Kusal Perera in the first match.
Dushmantha Chameera was the pick of the bowlers. In the T20I series, he took 6 wickets at an average of 11.66 and an economy rate of 6.26. His figures of 4/17 were the best performance with the ball for Sri Lanka. Hopefully, he can carry over his form to the upcoming world tournament.
A dark future ahead
Even the most optimistic of Sri Lankan fans have accepted that their team is a far cry from the collective of champions who won the 2014 World Cup. Now, they must be a part of the qualifying stage for this year’s T20WC. This arena is one of the most competitive in world sport, while the format is famous for its unpredictability. Qualification is not a guarantee, but the Sri Lankans will hope they don’t have to re-evaluate what rock bottom is for their side.
It remains to be seen what Kusal Perera can do with this side. If it’s any consolation for the Sri Lankans, the world’s most ruthless white-ball side probably made them look worse than they actually are.
They’re still an underwhelming outfit in comparison to the elite competitors they’ll face in a few weeks. There has been controversy in the country after Ranatunga called out the administration for hosting a second-string Indian side. Because that, after all, is the biggest issue plaguing their cricketing decisions right now.
Despite the lack of foresight, form and Dickwella’s zingers for Sri Lanka in the foreseeable future, they will hope to put on a better show against the Indians. The latter’s squad for the tour is similarly inexperienced at the international level. So, it remains to be seen which side’s victory will be treated as the true ‘upset’ by the press for this match-up.
