Sanath Jayasuriya’s type provides intrigue to Sri Lanka’s collection towards England | Sri Lanka cricket crew

For Sri Lanka, a primary Check tour to England since 2016 represents an enormous alternative – one the squad will undoubtedly strategy with a mixture of optimism and trepidation.

On the plus aspect, they’ve an ideal report since Dhananjaya de Silva assumed the captaincy, albeit throughout simply three Exams towards Afghanistan and Bangladesh, and Sanath Jayasuriya’s tenure as interim coach has received off to an astonishing begin with the shock one-day worldwide collection victory over India. Sri Lanka’s first such success towards their neighbours for 27 years introduced some feelgood issue again to the island’s cricket. Given the way in which Jayasuriya performed the sport, there’s intrigue over how his presence will have an effect on the red-ball squad. A great exhibiting in England would have followers throughout Sri Lanka clamouring for him to remain on as long-term coach.

However those that have adopted the crew carefully over the previous 18 months will respect there are causes for concern. Sri Lanka have faltered after they have confronted extra established opposition, shedding 4 out of 4 Exams towards New Zealand and Pakistan on this interval. They haven’t performed exterior Asia since March 2023. There are questions over how the batters will address tempo – particularly Mark Wooden’s thunderbolts. Packed homes will add strain, too; in current instances, Sri Lanka have grown accustomed to taking part in Exams in entrance of a handful of followers.

No less than there’s expertise on the coronary heart of their batting. Angelo Mathews, 37, Dinesh Chandimal, 34, and Dimuth Karunaratne, 36, have all toured England twice with the Check crew; the primary two have struck tons of, at Lord’s and Durham respectively, and Karunaratne shall be determined so as to add his title to an honours board. He has scored extra runs than another Check opener previously 5 years, sustaining a median above 50 in that interval. The subsequent time Sri Lanka tour England, these three will all have their toes up.

On the different finish of the spectrum are some thrilling younger batters. Pathum Nissanka, 26, returns to the red-ball squad for the primary time in two years; throughout his absence, he has change into a cornerstone for Sri Lanka’s white-ball sides, change into the island’s first ODI double-centurion and proven a exceptional capability to proceed rising his recreation. Kamindu Mendis, 25 – lengthy well-known for his freakish capability to bowl with each palms – has had a breakout yr, scoring 365 runs throughout two Exams in Bangladesh. Sri Lanka’s prime seven may function six batters who common greater than 40; Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Mendis will see the tour as a chance to boost their worldwide reputations.

There are extra query marks on the bowling entrance, with not one of the assault having performed a Check in England. The Fernandos – Vishwa and Asitha (no relation) – look sure to share the brand new ball, and must shoulder a heavy workload and an excessive amount of accountability. Each have had temporary stints as abroad gamers within the County Championship: the skiddy left-armer Vishwa took 9 wickets for Yorkshire in his final red-ball outing.

Sri Lankan followers will hope Asitha can emerge because the breakout star from the collection. A giant-hearted, broad-shouldered fast, he has quick change into a spearhead for his or her tempo assault – and quietly introduced himself as arguably the island’s finest red-ball seamer since Chaminda Vaas.

So far, he has 45 wickets at 26.60 – no imply feat contemplating simply three of his 14 Exams have come exterior Asia. Toiling away on unfavourable tracks in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka has pressured him to develop a diversified arsenal: he has a pointy bouncer and a harmful yorker, and might extract reverse swing. Plus, he has proven a capability to get one of the best batters out. If Sri Lanka are to spring a shock within the collection, Asitha might properly maintain the important thing.

The third seamer spot continues to be up for grabs. At his finest, Lahiru Kumara can act as an enforcer – bowling onerous lengths at good tempo, as England discovered on the 2023 World Cup. However he has been in need of top-level cricket in current months and tends to be wayward. Kasun Rajitha or Milan Rathnayake could also be higher suited to use swinging circumstances. Rajitha bowls good balls, however has by no means made himself an automated choose; Rathnayake appears to be like in good rhythm, however stays uncapped and untested at this degree. With the three Exams being performed in 20 days, it’s doubtless all three will function in some unspecified time in the future.

On excursions passed by, Sri Lankan assaults have been headlined by spin, and Prabath Jayasuriya has constructed an enviable report, bagging 71 scalps in 12 Exams. Nevertheless, nearly all of these have come on spin-friendly wickets; whether or not he has the craft and selection to thrive on much less receptive tracks stays to be seen. He’ll hope to profit from England’s compulsive need to assault, and may the ball begin to spin he may show an actual handful.

Maybe the most important stumbling block may very well be arriving at Outdated Trafford undercooked. Due to visa issues, the ultimate members of the squad landed within the UK on Friday, 5 days earlier than the beginning of the primary Check. Likewise, the only warm-up match has felt ominous. Sri Lanka have been shot out for 139 of their first innings at Worcester by a callow England Lions assault, their batters wanting hopelessly unequipped to take care of probing lengths and the shifting ball. Except they enhance quick, it may very well be a really lengthy collection.

Nonetheless, the squad, and the island, are excited. “Enjoying three Check matches in England is a good alternative for us,” Jayasuriya stated. “This collection provides our gamers a platform to showcase their red-ball expertise.”

The altering face of the worldwide recreation has meant Sri Lanka more and more specializing in limited-overs cricket in current instances. The nation’s greatest stars are all white-ball specialists who haven’t made the journey. As such, this tour might have profound penalties. Aggressive cricket may remind the world that the five-day recreation wants international locations exterior the large three of India, Australia and England; a blowout can be one other nail within the coffin for the worldwide way forward for Exams. Heading to Outdated Trafford, nobody’s fairly certain what we’ll see. That, in itself, renders the prospect compelling.