Changing batting positions affected my shot selections
Strong faith in my technique to win Test recall – Thirimanne
At 26, Lahiru Thirimanne could consider himself both lucky and unlucky; Lucky that he did make a promising start to his international cricket career – modest 1056 runs in 50 innings from 26 Test outings and 2586 from 87 innings in 107 matches. A solitary Test century 155 and 4 half tons and 4 ODI tons and 16 fifties where in the longer version but more flattering ODI credentials, the former Prince of Wales College, Moratuwa product was quick to be identified by the country’s think tanks in the game for an uncanny inherent talent of copybook beautiful stroke play. Wearing the vice captain’s mantle the within a few years is the best defining line of how much the youngster had caught the selectors eyes as a player for the future. They saw it prudent to elevate the left handed Thirimanne to the envious position replacing another talented youngster Dinesh Chandimal when the right hander was having a bad patch with the bat. What was a flourishing feature of Thirimanne the batsman that he was unfazed by position and situations rising to the occasion of doing the job for the team on innumerable occasions.
Now finding himself out of the team, it is a type of cricketing tryst for the youngster who seated at the SSC dressing room told me without batting an eyelid that ‘I don’t think that there are problems with my batting technique. I don’t want to change my mind set. I believe in myself and that I will continue to make runs.’ As he spoke Thirimanne made the point that he’d scored 67 at a practice match the other day and that he was confident of delivering.
What of the Test series in England? What happened?
“I couldn’t get much runs cos I was in and out of the team. I couldn’t bat in one position. I batted from 1 to No.7. There was no specific position for me. That was hard on me. I practiced hard,” he replies adding that ‘in Test cricket when you have no specific position that makes life very difficult. It is not like in ODI cricket. In Test cricket you need to be in a specific place because ahead of a Test match I plan a week before how to bat. So suddenly when you change the position it is difficult to adjust.”
Thirimanne goes on to add, “I batted in the No.3 position only on 2 occasions in my career. Mostly it has been at 6 and 7. But no excuses. You’ve to be ready at whatever position. In England I missed out on the ODIs because I was injured and flew back home.” I’ve been doing well in the ODIs with an average of over 40 in the last 2 years. Bad times do come to all cricketers. Graham Ford’s been advising me. He was the coach when I scored the 90 and hundred in Australia and knows my game. I’m trying really hard to achieve. I only couldn’t in the recent tests. I look forward to continue my good stats in the ODIs and win back my Test place. You see, I’ve a very strong faith in my technique which should get me back. There have been wrong shot selections. My shot selections got affected because of the different batting positions. If you bat upfront at 3 you know what your game plan is.”
He does imbibe the same unruffled calm that has been a hallmark of Thirimanne’s early promise when he says, “I’m not much worried about my setback. I’ve been
When you made your entry to the team in Australia in 2012-’13 you made a great start with a 90 odd in a Test match and grand ODI century at Adelaide?
“Yes. As I said it was my technique. I’ve not changed my technique and believe that I will be back among the runs.”
What do you consider your most memorable knocks?
“I think my 100 in the 2014 Asia Cup final was my best knock. Also the world cup 100 versus England was special,” quips the bearded youngster.
By Srian Obeyesekere
-The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Sri Lanka Cricket-