“I think Sri Lanka may have rediscovered Chameera here” veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle said on-air during Sri Lanka’s win against Namibia yesterday.
In a one sided affair in Abu Dhabi, Sri Lanka would be ecstatic with one aspect of their game more than anything else – their pace bowling.
The team management made a bold selection decision to include both Dushmantha Chameera and Lahiru Kumara in their playing XI, opting to go with two all-out pace bowlers.
Even though a different combination wouldn’t have really mattered in the final outcome of the match against Namibia, the manner in which their fast bowlers bowled will give them lot of heart and confidence going deep in to the competition.
149 kmph
Chameera and Kumara were aggressive from the start, hitting the pitch hard and fairly accurate throughout their spell. With bigger games yet to come in the competition, the contribution from these two speedsters will be something the team will be banking on heavily.
There is no doubt that Chameera is the most improved fast bowler for Sri Lanka in the last year or so, it is satisfying to see him feature in all matches, keep up his fitness and perform regularly as the lead fast bowler.
On the other hand, Lahiru Kumara looks refreshing. A break from International Cricket seems to have done a world of good for Kumara, who seems to have found his rhythm and looks a promising support role for Chameera in the Pace department.
In the spin department, Maheesh Theekshana lived up to his ‘mystery spinner’ reputation and put in a man of the match performance in his first game in an ICC tournament with an impressive 3 for 25.
All-rounders Chamika and Wanindu too had a decent day with the ball, as they assured Namibia would not post a challenging total for the Lankans to chase.
Chasing a mere 97 to win, Sri Lanka had a nervy moment early in the chase when they lost 3 for 26 in 5.1 overs.
Familiar Headache
Sri Lanka’s batting still stands a bit of a concern with few weak links in the XI, as some of the top order batsmen don’t look settled. Especially the form of opener for the day Pathum Nissanka and number 3 Dinesh Chandimal will worry them.
With Avishka moving down the order to provide stability to the middle order, Nissanka got the opportunity to open the batting with Perera. However, Nissanka failed to capitalize on the opportunity and cement his place at the top.
A new look Avishka Fernando and a more settled Bhanuka Rajapaksha ensured that Sri Lanka didn’t jitter further in their chase and in the end coasted to a comfortable 7 wicket win, chasing down Namibia’s below par 96 with more than 6 overs to spare.
It will be interesting to see how Sri Lanka will go with the batting order in the upcoming matches, whether they will stick to the same combination for the 1st round matches or they would want to do some experimenting with the resources is something we have to wait and watch.
Sri Lanka next play a much formidable Ireland on Wednesday. The match will begin at 7:30 pm, at the same ground.