Hiran Hewavisenti in FACEBOOK, #0 November 2025 ……………eoSopsdrnt3t27c39ft1tht9c4729m517ul00gcifl02ihtu7gg17a69949i ·
HORSES FOR COURSES
Sadly, there was no respite for a nation on the brink – not even from an oval in Rawalpindi and a game that has brought cheer to so many millions of Sri Lankans in the now distant past… in the midst of a civil war back in 1996 – and for nearly a decade thereafter when Sri Lankan cricket’s purple patch saw it win two World Cups and feature in multiple finals of major tournaments.
It wasn’t to be in Rawalpindi last night; it hasn’t been for nearly a decade.
And when the ‘stand-in captain’ asserts that only ‘fine tuning’ is necessary when our T20 World Cup squad is announced in January, one wonders whether he thinks we can go the distance if that is the case?
When such lofty statements are made after a game that saw his batters lose as many as nine wickets for a paltry 30 runs and a tour during which we won just two games out of eight, not to mention the 2025 Asia Cup fiasco not long ago, it sounds rather presumptuous to say the least.
Surely, many heads must roll – be it among the administrators, selectors and perhaps some from the coaching staff.
In addition, the middle order simply doesn’t stack up to handling high pressure games. The lack of a proven anchor, the dearth of big hitters and the fact that we don’t have a genuine all-rounder must be addressed.
And why is it that we refuse to play a third spinner rather than kid ourselves that a batting or bowling all-rounder can do justice to the fifth bowling slot?
Pakistan is surely a contender to win the T20 World Cup and it may be prudent to analyse its recent successes under a new coach, against South Africa and Sri Lanka – they now have an enviable mix of young talent, world-class seniors and exciting spinners to take advantage of conditions in our part of the world.
The hope therefore is that common sense will prevail…. because we really do have the resources to make our presence felt at the World Cup – if only the best are picked to play… for a change, let it be said!
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