Sri Lanka to begin playing Test cricket after a ten-month wait on Sunday (26)
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Sri Lanka Test Captain Dimuth Karunaratne has won four matches out of the eight he has led the country in so far, while losing only two. Last time they were in South Africa under him in 2019, Sri Lanka won the series 2-0 to become the first Asian country to achieve such a feat[/caption]
Sri Lanka Test skipper Dimuth Karunaratne said yesterday (24) that he is excited as well as nervous to re-begin Test action on Sunday (26), in the Boxing Day Test match at Centurion against South Africa, after a long wait due to coronavirus.
He said so while joining a virtual media briefing conducted by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) yesterday from South Africa.
“Starting cricket after such a long time at a place like Centurion is a challenging task,” said Karunaratne.
Here are some of the main views expressed by Karunaratne yesterday:
On the final Sri Lanka XI for the first Test at Centurion starting on the Boxing Day (Saturday, 26 December):
We now have a 13-member squad (there are 21 players barring Angelo Mathews currently in South Africa in an extended squad due to the coronavirus situation) which we can choose our final eleven from.
We plan to decide our final XI hopefully tomorrow (today, Friday).
Oshada (Fernando) is injured and Kusal Janith Perera will most probably open the innings (with Karunaratne).
We are trying to make a combination to manage the vacuum created by Angelo (Mathews). It could be either only three seamers or there could be another seamer with some batting, so as to fill Angelo’s void in the batting department. Wanindu (Hasaranga) and Dasun (Shanaka) have a chance in such an instance.
Suranga (Lakmal) has picked up a hamstring injury while training. His condition will be observed tomorrow (Friday). Vishwa Fernando is there as a replacement for him, and also as an all-rounder. Both Kasun (Rajitha) and Asitha (Fernando) are also fit.
And if we go for a left-arm spinner, we’ll go for Embuldeniya but if we need a spinner with a batting option, then we’ll go for Wanindu.
Dhananjaya (de Silva) will most probably play as a batsman who can bowl a bit of spin and field too.
On SL’s plan to face strong South Africa this time:
We have two, three plans for the South Africans. We want to continue our grip on the game without losing it until we get a chance to capitalise on. We will have to wait till we get that opportunity. That’s how we approached them last time when we beat them here 2-0.
We are also analysing the several newcomers who they have included in their squad.
They have had more cricket than us during the Covid situation. They could play their four-day domestic tournament and some home matches against England too.
On the customarily pace-friendly Centurion wicket:
It is raining here most of the time in the evening. Apparently there is a thicker grass layer on the wicket this time. It is good. If the team batting first can manage the first few hours safely, then they should be able to get a good total on board in the first innings.
On not playing cricket for almost ten months:
From January when we played Zimbabwe, I haven’t played any cricket. I missed the domestic tournament mid year due to injury (Karunaratne didn’t play in the recently ended Lanka Premier League - LPL). Therefore I’m excited a lot. And nervous as well.
Starting international cricket after about 10 months at a place like Centurion in South Africa is a challenging task. Therefore, all of us are going to put up a very good effort.
Shifting to Test cricket shortly after playing T20 cricket at the LPL:
The professional cricketers today should be able to change quickly to different formats. But the problem is to get acclimatise to the wickets. After playing on batting tracks (at Hambantota at the LPL), some of our players can get used to these fast wickets very quickly. But some can’t do it.
We didn’t have any other option. Therefore, everybody in the side will individually put on a double effort.
The life in the bio bubble:
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Sri Lanka’s 22-member Test squad for the series against South Africa and England (Angelo Mathews is not playing in South Africa due to injury)[/caption]
It has its own advantages because the players are gelling more intensely together because we are always together inside the bubble. Yet we don’t often stay in our rooms. We spend a lot of time inside the team room in our hotel (the Irene Country Club at Gauteng) playing table tennis and pool.
The bad side is that there is very limited mental freedom inside the bubble. Players always like to go out a bit and eat something that they like.
But we have to understand that this is a new situation and we need to get used to it. We don’t feel much of a difference. We are not worried either. We need to enjoy our time here and play good cricket. That’s our focus.
A lot of newcomers are in the current Sri Lanka squad. Only a very few seniors. Are Sri Lanka getting into a new era in Test cricket?:
No. I don’t think so. It has always been a combination of young and old. Still there are Mathews, Chandi (Dinesh Chandimal), and many others who are in their 30, 35 years of age.
There are a lot of newcomers. Our plan is to groom the youngsters for the future keeping them in the midst of the more experienced seniors. That’s what happened over the years. We still hold the same position.