For Sri Lanka and new head coach Sanath Jayasuriya, the last few months have certainly been winning ones, with the few blips – a 3-0 T20I series reverse against India, and losing the first two Tests in England – swiftly forgotten thanks to the morale-boosting wins and performances that followed.
But observers of Sri Lankan cricket over recent years will know better than to get carried away. After the twin peaks of 2014’s T20 World Cup win and overseas Test triumph in England, there was always likely to be a comedown and rebuild after the retirement of the stalwarts that drove those victories.
But the false dawns since then have been plenty, from an unexpectedly promising 2021 T20 World Cup campaign, to an even more unexpected 2022 Asia Cup final win, and then a run to the final of the 2023 Asia Cup which itself was preceded by an unbeaten 2023 ODI World Cup qualifying campaign. Even this year’s T20 World Cup build up had seen resounding series wins against Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. All the hope that sprung from those victories, however, was just as quickly snuffed out by abject showings in major tournaments and finals.
So will this time be any different? For Jayasuriya and his team (which he has mentioned at any opportunity when allocating credit), the proof of the pudding is in the tasting. At the moment it tastes quite good, but balancing long-term objectives with short-term goals is no easy task, and during the early part of Jayasuriya’s reign as head coach it’s the short-term that has taken immediate priority.
Take the recently concluded series against New Zealand. Several red-ball specialists were sent to South Africa early to prepare for Sri Lanka’s crucial WTC-impacting Test series later this month, but four key players – Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kamindu Mendis and Asitha Fernando – were asked to remain and play against a fairly green New Zealand side.
Would those four have been better served preparing for the Tests Sri Lanka need to win to keep their WTC final hopes alive? Most certainly. But for Jayasuriya, the need to keep a winning momentum was just as important – and for those four players, a shorter adaptation period is now a challenge they must meet head-on.
“We were discussing all these options, but we wanted to do well, even in Sri Lanka with the ODIs and T20s, because we can’t take things for granted even with this New Zealand team. Yes, some of their players didn’t come but they [still] have a good team. They played good cricket here,” said Jayasuriya, alongside chief selector Upul Tharanga, on Thursday. “So that is why we give some of them to rest on the last game – to come back to Colombo, rest and then go to South Africa. Some of the players may have to adjust themselves as quickly as possible to the situation. So Kamindu, Pathum, Kusal Mendis, those three players need to adjust themselves according to the situations, red-ball and white-ball.”
As for Asitha – Sri Lanka’s lead red-ball seamer – Jayasuriya felt the rest afforded by not playing in the T20s and the final ODI was enough.
“We gave him a rest in the T20 games, where he had two games off,” Jayasuriya said. “And after that we got him to play two ODIs and we gave him the third ODI off. So we’re managing him, because he’s the one who’s bowling really well at the moment. We have to look after him.
“Of course, we considered those areas [resting players] with the selectors, but we came to the decision to play everyone in the first two games, and then to see how it goes.”
“The idea was to get that winning feeling into the side. That’s the most important thing, that’s where the players gain confidence. Once that is done, then we can start looking at which pitches are needed to best suit our combination of players.”
Chief selector Tharanga
These answers may not satisfy those who might view a white-ball series against a depleted New Zealand side as significantly less important than the Tests in South Africa – particularly with Sri Lanka’s next major ODI tournament set to be in 2027 for the World Cup – however, it’s increasingly evident that Jayasuriya’s management style – at least at this juncture – is focused on tackling the challenge at hand as opposed to looking at the big picture.
“What I say is, when you get to the ground, you can win the match or lose it, but you have to show the right attitude and body language. That needs to be 100% – if you do that you’ll never go wrong. I always insist on the basics like that.
“If you go for a T20 it’s about three hours of cricket, an ODI is around six hours. For that period of time, flick the switch, and give me 100%, and on either side of that forget about it. Like that, I look to give small, small goals. You don’t need to give these boys big targets, they have played cricket from a young age, they know what to do. They just need the confidence, structure, discipline, put it all together and go well.”
Even when it comes to pitch preparation, it’s clear that the immediacy of results has been prioritised. After the 2023 World Cup debacle, there seemed to be a shift in thinking within Sri Lankan cricket, with better batting tracks set to be curated to provide more of a challenge for bowlers, and offer batters the license to play their strokes.
However, upon Jayasuriya taking over, there has been a u-turn in this mandate, with pitches recently favouring heavily spin bowling. Chief selector Tharanga, however, made it clear that this was a concerted ploy but one that would only be restricted to international games.
“A lot of the time the plan is tailored to the opponent we’re facing. That said, the last few series we have definitely prepared wickets favouring spinners,” said Tharanga. “The idea was to get that winning feeling into the side. That’s the most important thing, that’s where the players gain confidence. Once that is done, then we can start looking at which pitches are needed to best suit our combination of players.”
“In terms of domestic cricket, such as club cricket, LPL and T10, those matches must be played on good wickets. How to build long innings, or bowl in certain situations, how to bowl on good wickets, how to bowl at the death – the players coming through the system must learn these things, not in international cricket, but when playing domestic cricket. It’s difficult to learn those skills on the job when you’re playing international cricket. Domestic cricket must 100% be played on good wickets.”
But while the needs of the short and longer-term don’t always make for happy bedfellows, as things stand, for a cricketing nation bereft of any sort of confidence over the past decade, Jayasuriya’s methods are working, and that all too crucial buy-in, not just from the players, but from fans and a notoriously fickle local media, is also seemingly falling into place.
