Sri Lanka make sweeping changes for Bangladesh tri-series

Tri-Nation Tournament in Bangladesh, 2009-10

Sa'adi Thawfeeq

December 29, 2009

Lahiru Thirimanne would be eager to make his senior team debut in Bangladesh © Getty Images

Poor form and player injuries have prompted Sri Lanka's selectors to make sweeping changes to the squad for the tri-nation tournament in Bangladesh next month, also featuring India. Those dropped include batsmen Sanath Jayasuriya and Chamara Kapugedera, fast bowler Lasith Malinga and spinner Ajantha Mendis, all of whom had disappointing performances on the recent tour of India.

Sri Lanka lost the three-Test series 0-2, split the two Twenty20s and lost the five-match ODI series 1-3. Injuries to key players through the tour made the assignment in India all the more tough.

In fact, batsman Mahela Jayawardene, allrounder Angelo Mathews and bowlers Muttiah Muralitharan and Dilhara Fernando were not considered for the 15-man squad to Bangladesh, having picked up injuries in India.

Middle-order batsman Thilan Samaraweera was spared the axe, due more to Jayawardene's injury, and selection committee sources said the 33-year-old right-hander would add experience to the batting line-up and help ease the pressure on captain Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga.

Among the new inclusions are Chamara Silva, Lahiru Thirimanne, legspinner Malinga Bandara and fast bowler Thilan Thushara.

Silva, 30, finished as the top run-scorer in the domestic Premier League Tier A tournament, with 900 runs from 11 matches at 56.25 for Bloomfield, scoring three hundreds and four fifties during the campaign. Most impressive was his strike rate of 99.77. Having last played an ODI in August last year, and his last appearance for Sri Lanka being in the 2009 World Twenty20 final against Pakistan, he will keen to make the most of the opportunity.

"We think that Silva has a role to play in the World Cup. He is a fast accumulator of runs and he is a brilliant fielder," selection sources told Cricinfo.

Thirimanne, 20, finished as Ragama Cricket Club's leading run-getter this season, with 709 runs in eight matches at 59.08, including two centuries and five fifties. Selection panel sources said Thirimanne was an exciting prospect and his ability to finsh a game would be extremely handy.

His Ragama team-mate Bandara was also rewarded for his perseverence and was handed another opportunity to seal his place in the national side as a spinner. In fact, the uncertainty surrounding Muralitharan's availability for the 2011 World Cup has prompted the selectors to look elsewhere for spinning options.

Left-arm fast bowler Thushara also made a return to the side after a freak shoulder injury which forced him to return from India. Allrounder Muthumudalige Pushpakumara, Suranga Lakmal and Suraj Randiv, who were replacements to India, have been retained.

The tournament will be played from January 4-13 with Sri Lanka taking on the hosts in the first match in Mirpur.

Sri Lanka squad: Kumar Sangakkara (capt & wk), Tillakaratne Dilshan (vice-captain), Upul Tharanga, Thilan Samaraweera, Thilina Kandamby, Chamara Silva, Lahiru Thirimanne, Thissara Perera, Muthumudalige Pushpakumara, Malinga Bandara, Suraj Randiv, Thilan Thushara, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Kulasekara and Chanaka Welagedera

Ajantha Mendis misses out in Mumbai

Ajantha Mendis will not play in Mumbai © AFP

Ajantha Mendis has been omitted from Sri Lanka's playing XI for the decisive third Test in Mumbai, with the captain Kumar Sangakkara backing a third seam bowler at the Brabourne Stadium. Mendis was included for the second Test in Kanpur as the management opted for a three-pronged spin attack, but after taking 2 for 162 he has been axed.

"Mendis will have to sit out," said Sangakkara. "We'll probably go with an extra seamer than a spinner on this track, which doesn't look as dull as the one at Ahmedabad or Kanpur."

Nuwan Kulasekara, who has returned to full fitness, appeared to have the edge over Dilhara Fernando for the third pace bowler's spot. "In the last two to three series, [Nuwan] Kulasekara has been very consistent in both ODI and Test," said Sangakkara. "So, quality-wise I think Kulasekara has an edge. Dilhara Fernando is coming into the side after a while but he is bowling well and with a lot of pace. It is a tough choice and we'll have to make that tough choice today."

Sri Lanka's bowling combination that has won them 10 of their last 19 Test matches comprised three seamers. They paid the price in Kanpur, opting for a spin trio, and were thrashed by an innings and 144 runs inside four days. Trailing 1-0 in the three-Test series, it is now a must win situation for the visitors, as they look to avoid their first series loss in the last eight encounters, since losing 2-0 in Australia in 2007-08.

"We had a good one in the first Test, not a great game in the second," said Sangakkara. "It's a case of regrouping and keep doing the basics right. We have the side to beat any team in the world. This is another opportunity for us to do that.

"We created quite a few chances with the new ball in both innings of the first Test, and the second innings of the second Test. Creating opportunities is one thing and taking those chances is another. Those are the things that can turn a game especially when the batsmen go on to make big runs. We've got to make sure that our disciplines are good and our catching is right on the mark from ball one."

Sangakkara defended his key spinner Muttiah Muralitharan on the poor form he had shown in the series so far. "Murali is a bowler who has done so much for Sri Lanka and can sometimes have an off day. That's the way cricket goes. That doesn't mean he is any worse a bowler, he is still our best spinner and in my view the best spinner in the world. When you have that quality in the side you have to back that quality and that ability it's no different for tomorrow. Murali is still the spearhead of our attack and we back him 100% to turn it around and win a match for us."

Sa'adi Thawfeeq

Murali and Mendis need to attack

From Sri Lanka's perspective, the second Test could hardly have been more disappointing. They travelled to India with a great deal of expectation and hope, with a team of undoubted quality. In Kanpur, though, they were comprehensively outplayed. It was their poorest Test performance for a long time.

Losing is one thing, but the manner in which the team wilted was alarming. The lack of fight was deeply worrying. After failing to force a win in Ahmedabad in the first Test, it was crucial to get the energy levels high and hit India hard, but when things did not go Sri Lanka's way on the first morning, they went flat fast.

The toss was undoubtedly important. The players all knew that day one was going to be the best day for batting before it started to turn. The loss of the toss was made worse by a spilled catch off Sehwag in the first over and then a very good lbw shout that was turned down. The team's disappointment was understandable, but their reaction was not: heads went down and the negative body language betrayed the evaporating self-belief.

Full credit to India's batsmen; I thought they were superb. They carried the attack to the Sri Lankan spinners, using their feet expertly and seizing on any scoring opportunity. They were aggressive and positive and the slow bowlers were put under a huge amount of pressure. The failure of the spinners to control the game pushed Sri Lanka out of their comfort zone.

After India had got off to a flying start, I was surprised Sri Lanka did not try to clamp down on the run rate with some old-fashioned boring cricket. India were allowed to score too quickly. With more restrictive tactics and field placements, especially against new batsmen, the run rate could have been kept down on the opening day, and that would at least have left Sri Lanka breathing. As it was, the runs were plundered so quickly that the Sri Lanka batting was placed under enormous pressure.

While there seems little doubt that Murali is past his peak, he is still the kingpin of Sri Lanka's attack. For me, the main issue is that he seems low on confidence. There are signs of self-doubt, and the end result is that he has lost a bit of zip. However, I still believe that if he is able to gather himself together mentally and trust and believe in himself, he will bounce back.

Ajantha Mendis was pretty flat and it is fair to say a lot more was expected from him. He needs to shift gears now because players are reading him. He was different and special at the beginning of his career, but batsmen are countering him now. He needs to rise to the challenge, keep his belief and be smarter. He needs more variations while still doing the basics well.

Credit to Rangana Herath. I thought he showed a lot of mental strength. The Indian batsmen understood the threat he posed and they went after him to try and prevent him settling. However, he kept tossing the ball up and sticking to his strengths. When the ball did start to grip on day two, as the pitch started wearing, batting became a different ball game against him.

The three-spinner strategy was not the success that Sri Lanka would have hoped for, but I don't believe it was the wrong tactic. If fewer runs had been conceded on the first day, and if Sri Lanka had pushed India into a second innings then they could really have had an impact.

The main issue for me has been that the spinners, particularly Murali and Ajantha, are not playing with the same confidence that we are used to seeing from them. They are both on the back foot and thinking defensively at a time when Sri Lanka needs them to have a spring in their step. They both need to trust their talent and go out there with a far more positive mindset.

The management are left with a difficult decision as they select the attack for the Mumbai Test. With Dammika Prasad fit again, they might be inclined to revert to two spinners, and that means making a choice between Murali and Ajantha. Murali is obviously the favourite but the final call has to be made after assessing his state of mind.

	Like Sachin Tendulkar frustrated the Sri Lankans on the final day in Ahmedabad, visibly upsetting some of them, Sri Lanka might at least have frustrated India in Kanpur, and thereby clawed back some of the momentum in a mental battle they started losing in the first Test

The batting was also a disappointment for Sri Lanka, although the top order was always under pressure after India was allowed to amass such a mountainous score. In such circumstances you need to just bat without worrying about the scoreboard or time. That, of course, is easier said than done, and in this game the top order did not handle the situation well. Mistakes were made under stress and some of the main batsmen were made to look very ordinary.

In the second innings Sri Lanka should have put up a stronger fight. While batting was harder than on the first day, there were no great terrors in the track even on the fourth day, and I thought India could have been made to work far harder for their victory. Like Sachin Tendulkar frustrated the Sri Lankans on the final day in Ahmedabad, visibly upsetting some of them, Sri Lanka might at least have frustrated India and thereby clawed back some of the momentum in a mental battle they started losing when they failed to trample on India on the evening of the third day and on the fourth morning in the first Test.

The management will also now need to assess whether a change needs to be made to the opening combination. Tharanga Paranavitana has now played nine Test matches but needs to begin making the big hundreds he scores in domestic cricket. In all of his last four innings he has been dismissed between 20 and 38, failing to capitalise on good starts.

Thilina Kandamby is an excellent player, but I think he is better suited to the middle order, where his strength against the spinners will be very useful. Kamdamby could be included by pushing Prasanna Jayawardene up to the opener's slot, but that is a tough ask, considering Prasanna has his wicketkeeping duties as well, so I would seriously consider a debut for Kaushal Silva, who although a wicketkeeper is also a top-class bat.

Whatever the selection, the key to levelling the series in Mumbai will be the way the team reacts to this defeat. A first series win is now impossible, but Sri Lanka cannot let that deflate them. The ability to bounce back in such circumstances is a hallmark of great teams, and squaring the series would be a major achievement. Sri Lanka definitely has the potential, but they need to be far more combative and mentally strong. They need to play with pride, purpose and unshakeable self-belief.

Russel Arnold played 44 Tests and 180 ODIs for Sri Lanka between 1997 and 2007