What’s Wrong With Our World Cup Squad?

What’s wrong with our World Cup squad, I hear you ask? Well a lot, if you ask me. Yes, this is a 30 member pool and there are a lot of untested names. But the most notable absentee in the squad is Logic. With Foresight also being unlucky to be left out.

But let’s face it. This 30 isnt’ going to win us the World Cup. But a squad of 16 players most certainly will. So whether there are players in this 30 who should eventually be in the pruned down final world cup squad is the question we have to ask. The other, more important question, is whether there are players not in this 30 who should be in the final 15 and I honestly think there are.

But why I say logic is an absentee, is because there are 9 spinners – that’s one third of the squad – that are included. Lakshan Sandakan, the chinaman bowler has never played international cricket and neither has Tharindu Kaushal. They are probably both very good bowlers but unlikely to debut, or make a difference, in a world cup. It makes sense then, to pack the 30 with players who make actually play and give them a chance to make a difference.

For instance Thilina Kandamby got one game – yes, that’s right, one game – to prove his worth against England. He failed spectacularly and has been thought of as not being good enough even for the 30 man squad. If he was good enough for the XI and replaced Jayawardena ahead of Chandimal, Dickwella, Karunaratne etc., who are all in the squad, then how come they needed to play him in a match to decide he was surplus baggage? While I agree that Kandamby is not the answer to the middle order question, the issue is more with the process and the message being given to players than anything else. Any hopeful will be terrified that all he will get – like Kandamby before him – is one chance. Plucked out of relative obscurity after having played his last game in 2011, poor old Kandamby didn’t stand a chance.

Contrast that with the case of Kapugedera, who also hasn’t played for Sri Lanka since 2011, but has been scoring heavily in the BPL. Whatever people may say about the quality of the BPL, it’s still difficult to make middle order hundreds in one day cricket. And Kapugedera has got a few of them. So he’s in form. Play him, if you must pluck someone from the past and give him one game. Not Kandamby.

There’s no question that for Sri Lanka, this World Cup, will be won by experience. KS, MJ, LM, TMD and RH together with the skipper, will be the men that win the Cup for us, if at all. They will need the likes of Kapugedera in the squad to help that effort. The other middle order batsman scoring heavily is Mubarak. He had an amazing season in the premier division and is probably batting better than he has ever before. Which, some detractors may argue, is not saying much. That is uncharitable, but the runs are there, as is the experience.

What this squad, and the Sri Lankan team over the last few years has lacked, are the fielders who can change games. Everyone remembers the iconic moment of Jonty Rhodes diving to break the stumps against Pakistan and also Herschelle Gibbs famously dropping Steven Waugh. World Cups are won by teams who do the little things right. In Australia, where boundary hitting may not be possible on bigger grounds like the MCG, or soft outfields which hold the ball up, fielding will be of primary importance. Mubarak and Kapugedera, together with Sachithra Senanayake will hugely cut down opposition totals to allow the batsmen to chase less, and bowlers to defend better. It’s an intangible part of the game as yet, but Angelo Mathews will be glad to have those three along with Dilshan, Jayawardena, Thirimanne and Jeevan Mendis, who will form the core of that fielding unit and make up for the slower fielders like Herath and Malinga who will obviously play. Give Trevor Penney those lads to work with and things will look up.

NZ nearly fielded their way to a semi final win against Sri Lanka at RPS in 2011. Defending a tiny total they made it hard for SL until Jacob Oram dived over a ball he should have stopped. New Zealand are currently bowling to an excellent plan against Pakistan, and England and South Africa, not to mention Australia are good fielding sides. The younger Indian players are also more athletic making their age old weakness less noticeable.

It’s a big factor. Don’t ignore it.

Dimuth Karunaratne hasn’t played cricket, and certainly not ODI cricket for ages. He is in the squad. I have no problem with Chandimal being in the 30 but will have a problem with him being in the 15. Maharoof is an old boy that has been recalled and I don’t see a problem with that. He is a tall bloke that can get some bounce and has experience in Australian conditions. Having him around the squad is a smart move. He can also bat. While it is imperative that Lasith Malinga must be fit for us to have any chance, we also have the option of one of Lakmal, Pradeep, Eranga or Prasad to complement him. This would give Sri Lanka 40 overs of solid pace bowling if Angelo Mathews needs to use it because the skipper and Thisara Perera would provide pace bowling cover.

With raw pacies who will bowl as quick as they can, it is essential that Sri Lanka put on the fielding pressure and don’t leak easy runs. Containing batsmen now is less about bowling dot balls and more about bowling to a plan and a field. To execute this the bowlers have to have the support of their fielders. I’ve been banging on about this a while now, but just because we bring Trevor Penney in doesn’t mean that he will turn a bunch of average athletes into a world beating fielding side. It’s unreasonable to expect. Kithruwan Vithanage is another one, who can make a difference as a perennial 12th man.

Packing 9 spinners into seamer country is ridiculous. Especially at the expense of players like Kapugedera, Mubarak and maybe even Dilhara Fernando. They have more chance of positively affecting the squad than the untested rookies like Kaushal and Sandakan. I don’t see the thinking.

For me, this squad hasn’t got us closer to that World Cup winning 15 or 16. In fact, it’s done the opposite.