New look ammunition Sri Lanka could topple S. Africa in T20 opener
Battered and bruised in the three Test matches, Sri Lanka does get an opportunity to have a go at South Africa in the shortest version of the game, the T20 at Centurion on Friday January 20.
A format that the island nation finds itself more at home as an exponent that has basked in instant cricket being one of the elite five nations to have won cricket’s world cup in 1996, indeed, Angelo Mathews altogether different cast to the ones that featured in the disastrous Test series, could derive morale boosting strength therein when Sri Lanka takes on the obviously odds on home favourites in their own backyard.
To six of the Test squad including the talented young duo of Kusal Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva, Sri Lanka has added some freshers in Chinamon bowler Lakshan Sandakan who had an impressive first outing in a home Test match versus Australia, and the uncapped Thikshila de Silva. The confidence ego the Sri Lankan camp can derive in the action oriented cowboy version of cricket is that there are some clean hitters of the ball in particularly Kusal Mendis who at 21 years and still a budding find, does have the killer potential to take an attack apart.
Dhananjaya de Silva who breathes utility all-round talent does pack a finely nursed technique of artistic run making of copybook stroke play as the Sri Lankan batsmen would breathe a sigh of relief that more batting friendly tracks have been accentuated on by the home authorities. There is the left handed opening batsman Dhanushka Gunatilleke who is likely to pair with De Silva upfront while Sri Lankan fans will be highly expectant of skipper Angelo Mathews and vice captain Dinesh Chandimal to train their guns on the South African bowling machinery.
Meanwhile, the 31-year old Asela Gunaratne is in the reckoning for a place in the final eleven considering a solid century against Zimbabwe. The Sri Lankan camp is also likely to place faith in the 23-year old left hander Thikshila de Silva, who has been singled out for his ability as a clean hitter of the ball having lit up domestic cricket for Chilaw Marians. In 15 T20 innings the youngster has smashed 15 sixes and as many fours piling 218 runs at a strike rate of 144. He is also a right arm seam bowler. The Sri Lankans would take heart that South Africa too comprises a relative new look side with only Wayne Parnel there from the Test squad with relative unknown Farhaan Behardien carrying the South Africa captaincy mantle.
Sri Lanka’s bowling will be boosted by the inclusion of veteran pace man Nuwan Kulasekera who is a proven one-day specialist in his trade and packs quite a fast moving bat to good measure as all-round utility. While the promising Suranga Lakmal and Nuwan Pradeep also make up the numbers in that department, the presence of Sandakan as a good turner of the ball, and leggie Seekuge Prasanna who is capable of using the long handle to effect, does give the skipper fair options to opt for a match winning composition in the first of two day-night games with the next at Johannesburg on Monday the 22.
THE SQUADS:
Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews (captain), Dinesh Chandimal (wkt), Dhananjaya de Silva, Thikshila de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Asela Gunaratne, Danushka Gunathilaka, Nuwan Kulasekara, Suranga Lakmal, Kusal Mendis, Sachith Pathirana, Nuwan Pradeep, Seekkuge Prasanna, Lakshan Sandakan, Isuru Udana.
South Africa: Farhaan Behardien (captain), Theunis de Bruyn, Reeza Hendricks, Imran Tahir, Heino Kuhn, David Miller, Mangaliso Mosehle (wkt), Lungi Ngidi, Wayne Parnell, Dane Paterson, Aaron Phangiso, Andile Phehlukwayo, Jon-Jon Smuts.
-The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Sri Lanka Cricket-
By Srian Obeyesekere
