Much has been made of the decline of the Sri Lanka women’s team in cricket, unlike the women’s cricket team. The men’s team of today, and the team that has been playing at the top level for the best part of a decade is not the side that made it to two World Cup finals back to back in 2007 and 2011, won a World T20 final in 2014 and was ranked among the best sides in the world. That Sri Lankan is sadly no more.
With the retirement of cricketing greats like Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, and before them Muttiah Muralitharan and more recently Lasith Malinga, the Lankan side has struggled to compete at the highest levels. The hope for coming back for Sri Lankan cricket, in the form of new players, new captains, and new coaches has not produced the desired results. Sri Lanka cricket is a shadow of its former self. The men’s cricket that is. When you turn your gaze towards Sri Lanka women’s cricket, a different picture is unfolding.
Sri Lanka Women’s Team: The Champions of Asia
Let’s start by engaging the trending sports news in the subcontinent. The Sri Lanka women’s team have defeated the favorites and cricketing giants India to become the champions of Asian cricket for the first time in their history. Last Sunday’s encounter at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium in front of a full house was a spectacle. It is interesting to note that on the very same day, the Sri Lanka men’s team was taking on the Indian side in a rain-affected game. The game ended with a familiar result: victory for the Indians. In Dambulla, the atmosphere was very different, and eventually so was the outcome.
One must be careful in reading too much into this, but if one compares the two games between India and Sri Lanka: the men’s vs women’s, both played at home; there was a noticeable difference in energy and expectation at the two venues. In the women’s game, which was obviously a bigger match: the Asia Cup final, it seemed the Sri Lankan crowd knew something was about to happen! This wasn’t one of those one-sided games where India mops the floor with the opposition. Back in Colombo, in the men’s game, there was more hope than expectation. And the end result proved it.
Rise of Sri Lanka’s women’s cricket team
If one is inclined to dismiss the victory by the Lankan ladies in the Asia Cup Final last Sunday, they would be wrong. This Sri Lankan women’s cricket side has been on an upward trajectory for some time now. Having whitewashed the West Indies in the ODI home series 3-0 in June and having defeated high fliers England in an away T20 series earlier this year, things were clearly building up to this moment.
The kind of momentum the Sri Lanka women’s cricket team have built up in the recent past is something that the men’s side can only dream of. Winning the away series against England, and defeating India in the Asia Cup final; it has been a long time since the men’s team has managed this kind of success. And the way things are going, it might be longer still. The main takeaway for Lankan cricket fans is to take heart from the performances of the women’s side. As the men’s team struggles, there is something to cheer about.
Lessons for Sri Lanka men’s cricket team
As noted, much has been made of the decline of Sri Lanka cricket over the past decade or so. There have been a few successes: such as the home series victory against Australia in 2022, to the Asia Cup triumph in the same year. But as far as ICC tournaments and away competitions are concerned, Sri Lanka has been totally outplayed.
So if there is one thing the men’s cricket team can take from the success of their female counterparts, it would be Chamari Athapaththu. The player of the series in the Asia Cup, and captain of the side, she has been a rock upon which this team and Sri Lanka women’s cricket have been built. Something which the Sri Lank men’s team solely lack. A great player and a great leader who can inspire the team to do great things. Can Charith Asalanka be that person?
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