Lively pacie Bandara certainty for Lords, Kusal Janith expectant

“The names of the exciting hard hitting opening batsman Kusal Janith Perera and 29-year old left-arm pace man Chaminda Bandara hover as  Sri Lanka head to Lords.”

The names of the exciting hard hitting opening batsman Kusal Janith Perera and 29-year old left-arm pace man Chaminda Bandara hover as  Sri Lanka head to Lords with several key issues to be ironed out in fielding a gelling combination against a highly professional England. Kusal Janith beefing up the side for his attacking pinch hitting ability could be a swaying factor while Bandara almost looks a certainty with pace man Shaminda Eranga whose action is being scrutinized, likely to be left out pending the biomechanical clearance.

Concerns sounded two days ahead of the Lords 9 encounter by Coach Graham Ford border particularly on the fielding and the bowling dep

With Lords much warmer to the Sri Lankans, the good batting track having yielded the 350-run mark to both sides, the 25-year old bludgeoner, likened to Sanath Jayasuriya, could well be a tempting bet for the Sri Lankan selectors including skipper Angelo Mathews to beef up the side depleted in other areas. The left hander has the penchant to take bowlers to the cleaners and his pinch hitting could influence his inclusion at the expense of perhaps Milinda Siriwardena. He has an aggregate of 169 runs from only 3 tests matches with a top score of 70 for an average of 33.80. According to reports flitting in from London, Kusal Janith Perera is keeping his fingers crossed of making the eleven at Lords.artment. The morale boosting factor has been the batting department sounding the much required muscle that had eluded the side by the second innings 400-run plus total at Durham. But as the South African born coach Ford has reportedly stressed, the depleted fast bowling attack first by injury first to key strike bowler Dhammika Prasad who was Sri Lanka’s series match winner over England in 2014, and then

 Dushmantha Chameera followed by the latest Eranga controversy has further confounded things. The fielding department will also need to be at its 100 per cent following lapses in the previous tests where Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow benefitted from dropped catches to post big scores.

 Meanwhile, Bandara is highly spoken of for his ability to swing the ball either way quite effectively. Full name Konara Mudiyanselage Chaminda Bandara, born on May 22, 1987 in Kegalle, the former St. Maryu’s College product and Sinhalese Sports Club player, who started his career with Kandy Youth Cricket Club, has collected 27 wickets representing the Sri Lanka A team from 22 matches and a best of 4 for 34 with a first class tally of 141 wickets from 51 outings.

SALUTING RANGANA HERATH

“What makes Herath’s 300 Test wicket achievement more the remarkable is that he falls into a rare breed who struck gold with the ball like old wine – a voyage that left the e Kurunegela product in hibernation of ‘waiting wings’ when world great Muttiah Muralitharan was around.”

Left arm slow orthodox bowler Rangana Herath’s 300 Test wickets makes him the third Sri Lankan after spin wizard Muttiah Muralitheran and fast bowler Chaminda Vaas to have reached the golden milestone.  What makes Herath’s achievement more the remarkable is that he falls into a rare breed who struck gold with the ball like old wine – a voyage that left th e Kurunegela product in hibernation of ‘waiting wings.’ That is from the fact that despite being a wicket taking spinner Herath, who made his Test debut in 1999 with an impressive haul of4 for 97 in a drawn match that Australia batted one innings, the world’s greatest bowler ever Muralitheran being around.

Herath has stated that he has no more pursuits and looks to the 10 tests on the cards in 2016. Let’s salute a true servant of the game to Sri Lanka cricket. - 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-