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Sri Lanka’s cricket coach maps out route to T20 success
Mickey Arthur, head coach of Sri Lanka. (Photo by Anesh Dibiky/Gallo Images/Getty Images)
COLOMBO, May 15, 2020, Sri Lanka cricket’s head coach Mickey Arthur has disclosed that he and his coaching staff are in the process of working out the modus-operandi that would see his side taste the sweetness of success in Australian conditions.
Though this year’s T20 World Cup, which is scheduled for October, seems doubtful due to the coronavirus cloud, he is still developing strategies that would see Lankans shining in the shortest format of the game.
“I, during the isolation period, have been busy drawing up plans for the World Cup. We have been trying to develop something that could be quite successful for us, and successful for us in Australian conditions,” Arthur said during a live online cricket talk show, hosted by a local sports platform ThePapare.com, on Wednesday (May 13).
“We shouldn’t be going to Australia and compelled to qualify for this year’s World T20. Sri Lanka should never be in that position, but that is where we sit,” Arthur, turning 52, on 17 May, reflected and regretted.
One alarming and unsettled format has been the short-burst format, where the 2014 World T20 champions have been abysmal. Their poor showing has vastly been blamed on an incapable leader in Lasith Malinga, their current captain in the format, despite leading his side to the cup.
Listing an area or two, in the three-hour entertainer that is now under a spotlight for the islanders, Arthur pointed out at power-hitting.
“With Avishka (Fernando) right up, at the top of the order, he gives us a bit of fire power there. We wanted Kusal Janith Perera as well, because he hits the ball in funny areas and scores fairly quickly.
“Thisara Perera is a very, very clean striker of the ball, and if he bowls, like he did in the West Indies series, he becomes a very, very serious player for us,” he added.
Arthur, known for his tough nut approach, has already begun to reap rewards inside the first few months.
The pick of all, was the welcome change in the former Captain, Angelo Mathews’s fitness. He becoming fitter and lighter, was evident in their last One-Day International (ODI) against the West Indies prior to the worldwide halt.
Losing weight not only enabled Mathews to throw himself in the field, but prompted him to dust the rust off in the fine all-rounder, where he is bidding regaining his X-factor form in all three-departments.
Arthur, under whom Pakistan stunned and sent packing their arch-rivals India at the 2017 Champions Trophy finals, has pinned hopes and faith in the younger members of the team.
“Kusal Mendis is arguably our best player. I think, if you’re a good enough player, you can play all formats of the game. His hands are amazing. His record is not as good as his talent and there something being clearly wrong,” he heaped praise.
Another such player is spinner, Wanindu Hasaranga, whom he has lauded and labelled a promising prospect.
Hasaranga, understandably so, delivered a Hasaranga heroics, winning the curtain-raiser ODI in a thriller by a wicket against the Windies, emerging against all-odds.
Few months into his stint, the coach appears to have done considerable talent-tapping, particularly, on young blood.
The 1996 World Cup winners, upon hiring the now settled coach, have renewed hopes of returning to winning ways.
“All I can say is, we are doing everything possible to win games for Sri Lanka, to get to the rightful place that is the top of the world and compete for trophies,” he said, in his message to the Lankan fans.
Though this year’s T20 World Cup, which is scheduled for October, seems doubtful due to the coronavirus cloud, he is still developing strategies that would see Lankans shining in the shortest format of the game.
“I, during the isolation period, have been busy drawing up plans for the World Cup. We have been trying to develop something that could be quite successful for us, and successful for us in Australian conditions,” Arthur said during a live online cricket talk show, hosted by a local sports platform ThePapare.com, on Wednesday (May 13).
“We shouldn’t be going to Australia and compelled to qualify for this year’s World T20. Sri Lanka should never be in that position, but that is where we sit,” Arthur, turning 52, on 17 May, reflected and regretted.
One alarming and unsettled format has been the short-burst format, where the 2014 World T20 champions have been abysmal. Their poor showing has vastly been blamed on an incapable leader in Lasith Malinga, their current captain in the format, despite leading his side to the cup.
Listing an area or two, in the three-hour entertainer that is now under a spotlight for the islanders, Arthur pointed out at power-hitting.
“With Avishka (Fernando) right up, at the top of the order, he gives us a bit of fire power there. We wanted Kusal Janith Perera as well, because he hits the ball in funny areas and scores fairly quickly.
“Thisara Perera is a very, very clean striker of the ball, and if he bowls, like he did in the West Indies series, he becomes a very, very serious player for us,” he added.
Arthur, known for his tough nut approach, has already begun to reap rewards inside the first few months.
The pick of all, was the welcome change in the former Captain, Angelo Mathews’s fitness. He becoming fitter and lighter, was evident in their last One-Day International (ODI) against the West Indies prior to the worldwide halt.
Losing weight not only enabled Mathews to throw himself in the field, but prompted him to dust the rust off in the fine all-rounder, where he is bidding regaining his X-factor form in all three-departments.
Arthur, under whom Pakistan stunned and sent packing their arch-rivals India at the 2017 Champions Trophy finals, has pinned hopes and faith in the younger members of the team.
“Kusal Mendis is arguably our best player. I think, if you’re a good enough player, you can play all formats of the game. His hands are amazing. His record is not as good as his talent and there something being clearly wrong,” he heaped praise.
Another such player is spinner, Wanindu Hasaranga, whom he has lauded and labelled a promising prospect.
Hasaranga, understandably so, delivered a Hasaranga heroics, winning the curtain-raiser ODI in a thriller by a wicket against the Windies, emerging against all-odds.
Few months into his stint, the coach appears to have done considerable talent-tapping, particularly, on young blood.
The 1996 World Cup winners, upon hiring the now settled coach, have renewed hopes of returning to winning ways.
“All I can say is, we are doing everything possible to win games for Sri Lanka, to get to the rightful place that is the top of the world and compete for trophies,” he said, in his message to the Lankan fans.
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