New Zealand brushes aside mediocre Sri Lanka as home captain blames fans for their poor show. BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE.(eLanka Sports Editor)
New Zealand exposed Sri Lanka for their mediocrity with a carefully constructed game plan that knocked the host nation out of the T20 World Cup.
The hopes of a cricket mad nation was crushed in front of a packed R. Premadasa Stadium crowd in Colombo who, ironically, was partly blamed by Sri Lanka’s skipper Dasun Shanaka for their elimination.
Post match, the underperforming skipper spoke in bizarre fashion about the outside negativity by fans on social media and at home for his team’s poor performance, not the reality that they are not good enough.
His plea for government intervention to support and protect the players for their mental well-being may have some merit. But doesn’t the administration that got it wrong have a bigger say in their current plight?
The hasty inclusion of demoted former skipper Charith Asalanka was more a reaction to fan outcry than bad choice and was doomed to failure. Asalanka was stripped of his captaincy then dropped for most of the tournament before being rushed in with the hope he will be the saviour. That was a high expectation in his current mindset and lack of game exposure.
So the story goes that Pallekelle is the bogey venue against England, but losing to New Zealand at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo defies that logic, clearly leaving Sri Lanka’s team and management out of excuses for being humiliated at home.
That’s Sri Lanka’s sad predicament right now, and the reasoning is as hollow as the team’s pathetic performance at home when the setting was right to propel them to respect and reckoning at the T20 World Cup.
They got their fans hooked with unconvincing wins over the lower ranked, then produced a rush of blood with the unexpected against Australia to toy with home supporters before settling to where they actually belong, a substandard pretender, that will take a long while before getting close to the heroes of the past.
The captain’s post match comments must surely be his last as leader, unless the plan going forward is for the country’s administrators to sit defiant and snugly unconcerned, in the cellar, despite worldwide interest and futile investment by Sri Lanka fans.
New Zealand drove in the final nails into Sri Lanka’s campaign with a convincing 61- run win that shut the door on the host country’s hopes of challenging for the World Cup and now need to keep Pakistan out to race for their next challenge in the semis.
Put in to bat first, New Zealand were soon in trouble as Sri Lanka’s bowlers produced a telling spell to grab early wickets and curb the run rate to 6 for 84 in the 13th over.
But the visitors batting led by a fantastic rearguard action between Skipper Mitchell Santner, and Cole McConchie broke the shackles carving out 84 runs off 47 balls and they recovered to a defendable 168 for 7 total.
Maheesh Theekshana, 3 for 30 off 4 and Dushmantha Chameera 3 for 38, three wickets each, caused most of the damage and Dinuth Wellalage had one for 27 before Sri Lanka’s grip loosened.
Sri Lanka in reply were jolted when Matt Henry stunned the home crowd by removing danger man Pathum Nissanka in his first ball. This set the cat among the pigeons as the familiar batting procession followed with Asalanka, Kusal Mendis, Pavan Rathnayake and Skipper Shanaka gone to make it 5 for 46 in 10.3 overs.
They never could dig themselves out of the middle order and tailend hole that is now an established norm as spinner Rachin Ravindra 4 for 27 off his four overs Matt Henry 2 for 3 off two and Mitchell Santner and Glen Phillips one each, completed the rout. New Zealand’s spinners accounted for six Sri Lanka batters to four by Sri Lanka.
Kamindu Mendis 31 off 23 and Dunith Wellalage 29 off 23 were the only two batters that took Sri Lanka to respectability as they crashed to 107 for 8 in their listless chase.
In spin friendly conditions that is usually to the advantage of subcontinental home teams, Sri Lanka continues to show vulnerability at their craft questioning the validity of hiring Indian batting coach Vikram Rathour who obviously has failed to deliver a change from what was.
While fans in Sri Lanka and worldwide are baying for blood, it is unfair to heap all responsibility on the players who depend on the right advice from their mentors. Skill and technique are God given, its the intricacies that help make crucial decisions about approach in different conditions.
While there’s little that’s worth discussing about Sri Lanka’s woeful campaign and the loss in another game that was within grasp, picking the winner is an interesting challenge.
India, England and perhaps South Africa looms front runners, but my gut feel strongly suggests West Indies as the bolter from the pack.
It would be memorable if they can repeat what they achieved against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka in 2012.
