Sri Lanka’s men’s cricket team has a new captain. A captain for the ODI format in case the reader was wondering, his name is Charith Asalanka. The star middle-order player broke out on the scene in 2021 and made his name with his attacking stroke play. This is combined with a determination that set him apart as a reliable run scorer as Sri Lanka was undergoing a transition. A transition that seemed to have gone on forever since the greats of the game retired in the mid-2010s.
Having been appointed captain of the T20 side following Wanindu Hasaranga stepping down following Sri Lanka’s disastrous T20 World Cup, Asalanka was given a baptism of fire in his first assignment: India. And we all know how that turned out. But this is a brave choice. Asalanka is certainly one of the most dynamic players in the side. The question is, will his appointment be enough to turn Sri Lanka’s fortunes around? The answer may surprise you.
A New White Ball Captain for Sri Lanka – But Is It Enough?
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If you have been following Sri Lanka cricket for any period of time, the last 5 – 6 years notably, you will know the number of captains and coaches that have taken the job at various times. Usually, after a major failure, either an early round 01 exit or a series loss to a weaker opposition, things turn sour. The leadership of Sri Lanka cricket invariably rings in the changes at the top. Sri Lanka cricket, following their dismal showing at the T20 World Cup, was bound to make more changes.
The appointment of Charith Asalanka is one of those results. Now, there is a lot that can be said about the talent and ability of the attacking middle-order player and his suitability for the role. But captaining a side that finds itself unable to compete against the top teams in the world is a different matter altogether. After the disappointment of the T20 series loss against India at home aside, there is a chance that under Asalanka, the team could pick up and win a few tournaments, but the root causes of the team’s woes remain unaddressed.
An Interesting Choice, but It Is Not Enough
If one looks at the problems plaguing cricket in the island nation, one of many is the lack of leadership at the top. Having a great cricketer leading the side by inspiring them to do great things is a step in the right direction. However, to compete at the highest level against powerful sides, the team needs many things to work well. One of the main issues for Sri Lankan cricket at the moment is India. The Lankans have now lost 10 straight games against their neighbors up north.
The problem at one level is mental. The team lacks mental resilience and on top of that, a lack of ability when it comes to competing at the highest level. There is clearly an ability gap when it comes to players produced by Sri Lanka cricket in the last few years. An example of this is the fact that very few Sri Lankan players made it into the IPL franchise. In other words, there is something fundamentally broken with the game in the Island nation.
It happened to Kusal Mendis in the ODI World Cup last year, and it sorta did for Wanindu Hasaranga in the World T20 recently. And it could happen again to Charith Asalanka. The burden of captaincy could weigh him down and undermine his form. It has happened in the past, and with Sri Lanka as a team lacking confidence, this move may well backfire on the team and the player. What the Lankans need is a ground-up solution that looks at the problems plaguing the game at the domestic level and the level of investment going into the game.
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