There are not much reviews on this topic. I realise I will have to write one. Hope you enjoy it.....
I have thought that that Srilanka is very low in their play except for some occassional performances. But from the 1996 World Cup victory till now, they have been proving their worth in the both forms of the game ie One Days and Tests. They have beaten Pakistan like they were UAE or Hong Kong making them all out for just 120s. Their performance against India which is rated higher in the points table was far more than impressive.
Srilankans are a force which no one can avoid. They were riding on the shoulders of Aravinda De’Silva and Arjuna Ranatunga in the 1996 World Cup, and now they have got their team spirit going and is giving a total team effort. Each and every player is doing their jobs like the captain and coach as well as the fans always wanted even if there is need for more consistency which may come as they continue to work as a single unit.....
Srilankans do not have the best batsmen in the world like the Indians and the West Indies. They don’t have the professionalism like Australia and South Africa. But still without any problems they continue to give some good performances throughout all the tournaments.
After getting the test status, they have increased their level in the cricket world and had been playing like an experienced side. The openers Sanath Jayasuriya and Avishka Gunawardane are too explosive to handle. Jayasuriya has another perfect partner after Romesh Kaluwitharana with whom he used to massacre the bowlers in the early years and make them pay for each mistake.
The middle order is stronger than ever even if Arjuna ranatunga and Aravinda De’Silva have returned, there is Marvan Attapattu, the solid batsman and captain, Mahela Jayawardene, the cool striker of the ball and Kumara Sangakkara, the wicket keeper classy batsman. There is also Russel Arnold or Dilshan down the order to face the difficult circumstances.
Thilina Kandamby - who is this guy? I don’t know, but he is a part of the current Srilankan team. Saman Jayantha is just waiting to be back in the team. Rangana Herath - He is another one of the Srilankan team, but I don’t remember him even if I have heard his name before. Kumara Dharmasena is a useful player as well as Thilan Samaraweera. Kaushal Lokuarachchi is not in the current team, but he is still available. This shows that there is a wide variety of options for Srilankans and the talents are spread throughout the country.
Upul Chandana, the useful spinner and partial batsman is there in the team to keep the team in the hunt if the legendary spinner, Muttiah Muralitharan is missing due to injury (It is the only reason for his absence if he is not rested). Chaminda Vaas and Nuwan Zoysa keeps the opposing batsmen jumping here and there and Lasith Malinga (His bowling action doesn’t look right) and Farveez Mahroof are promising bowlers with a bit more aggression than needed.
There is Dilhara Fernando waiting if there is need for another one quick eliminator. The one point that Srilanka has above the Indian team is that Zimbawe can beat India, but they can’t beat Srilanka (The current Indian team is much better, but I’m not sure about the Indians as all asian teams show inconsistency).
They surely need to improve their fielding. In the last match, they dropped Shewag twice, and let the match slip away from their hands. They have to convert half chances to wickets and they are not doing it exactly. I believe that they can do better than what they are currently doing.
They have got an old Australian player John Dyson as their coach and he has done a good job so far. South Africa’s cricketers have arrived in Colombo, Srilanka for their five-week long tour of Sri Lanka, who knows whats going to happen when these to collide as well as the Indians and Srilankans in the finals of the Asia Cup.
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