Sri Lanka is likely to miss the services of the veteran seam bowler Suranga Lakmal who is struggling with a hamstring injury which occurred last Wednesday and he remains as a doubtful starter for the first ‘Betway Test Series’ which is to begin on the boxing day at the SuperSport Park, Centurion.
The Sri Lankan skipper Dimuth Karunaratne hinted at the injury of his main strike bowler, Suranga Lakmal, but delayed the final decision until today, where the outcome will be known whether he will be fit to share the new ball with Lahiru Kumara.
“There has been a mild hamstring injury for Suranga since Wednesday and the medical staff are working on it. We will only know whether he is fit to play tomorrow(Friday). If he is fit, then he will share the new ball with Lahiru and in the event of being unfit then we will use another bowler in the squad,” said Dimuth.
According to Dimuth the batsmen will play a pivotal role in deciding the plight of the match as both sides possess a balanced bowling outfits. The team which scores over 300 plus runs in their first innings will definitely have the advantage over their rival as it remains in a 50-50 percent situation with regard to the strength of bowling. He further elaborated that the wicket has some extra grass and the batters will have to play on the merit of the ball.
He is determined to open with the dashing left hander Kusal Janith Perera and hopes to put up a placid platform for his remaining batters to post a challenging total, which will subsequently give a chance to the bowlers to go all out and restrict the rivals, who are likely to field a side with youth and experience.
Dimuth said that there is a bit of a nervousness due to the long layover due the pandemic, where they were limited to a shorter format of the game but was determined that at this level there is no reason for any one of his charges to make an excuse but should adjust to these conditions quickly.
The temperament of the team remains over 100 percent and the boys are fully pumped up to give their best to the team and the country. The head coach Mickey Arthur who himself is a South African has vast experience on the conditions and especially the behaviour of the SuperSport Park wickets. He has advised the boys on their plan how to handle the Proteas players in all departments. Even though they have been put up in a Country Club under strict health guidelines covered in a Bio-Bubble, the boys have had a good time by spending more time in their team room mostly in their free time.
Dimuth was asked several questions on the possible team’s composition where he was very happy to say that “It is nice to have a blend of youth and experienced in the team. This time we are blessed with a balanced side and I am confident that we could pull out some surprises. It all depends on the batters how they perform as it is a 50-50 situation. Our bowlers are equally good and are capable of getting the necessary breakthrough at the right time. We can’t grumble about the layover due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We as professional cricketers should know how to read and handle the situation well. We have done a lot of hard work in the last few days and the boys are fully focused to put up a gallant performance,” said Dimuth.
“Our bowling coach David Saker also has played a key role in our bowling department. He advised our bowlers to maintain a proper line and length rather than generating pace where the wickets remain a green top. We will finalize the final playing eleven only tomorrow. We have included two spinners in the 13-man squad where Lasith Embuldeniya and Wanindu Hasaranga are included. Depending on the situation we might play only one of them and I will always like to have an all-rounder like Wanindu in the side who could contribute with the bat too. Nevertheless, the boys are very keen on putting up a belligerent performance irrespective of some of the key players in their ranks,” concluded Dimuth.
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