Sri Lanka fans have been burned before, but on the face of it, Asalanka does have the credentials to potentially turn things around
Andrew Fidel Fernando25-Jul-2024To suggest that the Sri Lanka men’s team captaincy has been in turmoil recently doesn’t get close to capturing it. In the last ten years, since Lasith Malinga (himself taking over in an emergency-ripcord situation) led Sri Lanka to their last title in a global tournament, there has been serious churn in the leadership. So much churn that had it been strapped to a turbine, perhaps Sri Lanka’s electricity grid would not be under so much strain.Just in T20Is, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Upul Tharanga, Thisara Perera, Kusal Perera, Dasun Shanaka and Wanindu Hasaranga – they’ve all had a turn.But such as it is, the island’s cricket mirrors the island’s volatile politics. And cricket here variously begs from, fights against, buddies-up to, and bear-hugs the island’s government. At present, there is something of a détente between the government and Sri Lanka Cricket, to follow the full-scale war that had taken place through 2023. How long this will last, who can tell?Related
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Into this fickle melee steps Charith Asalanka, the latest to take Sri Lanka’s T20I reins. At first blush, he is the most chilled and genial captain Sri Lanka have had since Rangana Herath briefly led the Test team. How chilled? Just this last Sunday, the team he captained in and won the Lanka Premier League, which despite its many flaws, produced some spectacularly compelling cricket this season.At the moment of victory, Asalanka did not charge the field like many of his franchise team-mates, choosing instead to quietly congratulate members of the support staff in the dugout. Then, when time came to lift the trophy, Asalanka carried it to his team-mates, handed it to two others in the centre of the group, and then shuffled off to the edge of the clump, letting others raise the trophy and claim the limelight in a moment of triumph.It is not as if Asalanka shrinks from duty. He has been marked out for leadership for as long as he has been known for his cricket, having led the Sri Lanka Under-19 side, as well as school sides at Richmond College in Galle. He has been impressive almost throughout his stay in the international side – particularly at No. 5, where he strikes at 150 in T20Is, and averages 46.19 in ODIs. But although you sense that he wants the job – and is happy to have it – he doesn’t need it in the way others have.His, you suspect, will be a lighter touch than that of, say, Hasaranga, who took the captaincy by the collar and attempted to shake some life out of it. It’s hard to imagine Asalanka abusing an umpire and landing himself a two-match suspension, or showing so much dissent at a decision upon his return that he cops another two-match ban and has to unretire from Tests to absorb.Wanindu Hasaranga took the captaincy by the collar and attempted to shake some life out of it•AFP/Getty ImagesAn arm around the shoulder of a struggling batter, team meetings where consensus is valued, and a pointedly-joyful celebration of a wicket a team-mate has been straining to get – these seem like the Asalanka moves. There is selflessness there, but also a sturdy sense of self. He knows he belongs. He doesn’t find himself constantly having to prove it.Is it what Sri Lanka need right now? It’s hard to say, really. He inherits the captaincy of a team that is very clearly now attempting to relive glories they do not currently seem capable of, if we’re being frank. The batting has been in a long-term decline, with Asalanka and Pathum Nissanka the only players in the top order to operate with some semblance of consistency in T20Is.It is largely on the batting order’s shoulders that repeated nosedives in T20 World Cups, and that gradually-worsening ranking in the format may be dumped. It’s worth remembering that between 2009 and 2014, Sri Lanka made the semi-final of the T20 World Cup on all four occasions, and reached the final three times. They were No. 1 for a stretch there too.Now, their new captain has to plug leaky holes all over the top order. Asalanka may have to reintegrate the likes of Avishka Fernando and former captain Chandimal back into the top five. He has got to ensure Sri Lanka’s middle order does not succumb so meekly to high-quality wristspin as they so often have over the last several years. And he has got to find firepower lower down, where Dasun Shanaka has been conspicuously modest in internationals for well over a year now.Dilshan Madushanka could easily have made the original squad if discussions had taken a slightly different turn•AFP via Getty ImagesAsalanka will thankfully be on firmer ground on the bowling front. Some of the sheen of the Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana duo has faded in the past 12 months, but they remain formidable. And Sri Lanka have arguably never had deeper fast bowling reserves. Dushmantha Chameera and Nuwan Thushara have been ruled out of the upcoming series against India, but you imagine Asitha Fernando and Dilshan Madushanka – their replacements – could easily have made the original squad if discussions around the selectors’ table had taken a slightly different turn.The Sri Lanka men’s captaincy is a vexed thing. Has been for years. It has taken all types, spat out all types, ended some careers, sent others into decline, produced chaos in industrial quantities, and hilarity almost as often (Remember when Mathews was dumped as captain for allegedly running too many partners out?). We’re not in poisoned chalice territory just yet. But it has started to feel like a curse needs to be cast off. There has been a pattern: first the captain’s own performance tends to enter decline, then the whole team does.First up for Asalanka is one of the most difficult assignments in his sport. It would be unfair to expect Sri Lanka’s team to stun even a somewhat-depleted India. But some fight, some form for the batters, a decent series of catching, close games – these will feel like victories even if victories proper do not come.Sri Lanka fans have been burned on hope before, so perhaps it is wise to manage expectations, and stay tight on the tangibles: Asalanka has all the credentials of a captain who could potentially turn things around.
