Rangana Herath as skipper: Does this indicate a lack of leadership in Sri Lanka?

Players start counting down the residual days of their playing tenure when they enter into their late 30s, more so when they start knocking on the doors of the 40s. With reflexes diminishing and youngsters raring to make a mark on the national team, clawing on to a Test slot is all that’s expected from a veteran.

In the twilight of a player’s career, captaincy seems way more than just a far cry. Rangana Herath’s story has been different. It won’t be bewildering to know if Herath himself didn’t see the captaincy mantle coming at him. In the process, he became the oldest player to captain Sri Lanka in Test cricket. Angelo Matthews’ multiple leg injuries made it a reality.

Lanka and its legends

Mahela Jayawardena's charisma has got Sri Lanka out of jail several times

Experience along with a display of class and flair in the field are the basic ingredients to dish out a captain. It’s a duty to be proud of, but it’s something which isn’t in the range of capabilities of everyone. Sri Lanka boasts of some of the supreme captains to have played the game. The following list throws light on the elite list of captains.

Period	Captains	Matches	Wins	Win Percentage
2006-2013	Mahela Jayawardena	38	18	47.36
1999-2002	Sanath Jayasuriya	38	18	47.36
2013-Present	Angelo Matthews	31	13	41.93
1989-1999	Arjuna Ranatunga	56	12	21.42

Out of the 251 Tests Sri Lanka have played till date, they have won 78 of them. Among them, 61 wins are engraved beside the above legends’ names which convert to an astounding percentage of 78.20. In 35 years of Test cricket, Sri Lanka has produced four quality leaders which is pretty commendable.

A forlorn state of future leadership

Angelo Matthews is the current torchbearer of Sri Lankan cricket

Angelo Mathews is just 29 years old and scrutinizing his recent performances will add to his prowess as a skipper. But the future doesn’t seem a healthy one for Sri Lanka in terms of future captains.

Generally, during the injury of the mainstream captain, the next most experienced is handed over the mantle, but if it’s given to a 38-year-old, then it’s viciously alarming for the team. The following table will tell you the story

Player	Age	Matches	Debut	Runs	Average	Wickets
Rangana Herath (c)	38+	73	September 1999	1277	14.67	332
Niroshan Dickwella (wk)	23+	4	July 2014	144	20.57	-
Dilruwan Perera	34+	12	January 2014	271	13.55	59
Lakshan Sandakan	25+	3	July 2016	3	16.50	9
Dhananjaya de Silva	25+	3	July 2016	325	65	2
Dimuth Karunaratne	28+	31	November 2012	1792	31.43	-
Suranga Lakmal	29+	29	November 2010	216	7.71	60
Kusal Mendis	21+	9	October 2015	635	37.35	-
Kusal Perera	26+	7	August 2015	359	29.91	-
Kaushal Silva	30+	30	October 2011	1730	30.89	-
Asela Gunaratne	30+	-	Yet to debut	-	-	-
Lahiru Kumara	19+	-	Yet to debut	-	-	-
Kasun Madhushanka	25+	-	Yet to debut	-	-	-
Lahiru Gamage	28+	-	Yet to debut	-	-	-

There are several aspects which come to the limelight. Sri Lanka is currently in Zimbabwe for a Test series and in terms of prospective leaders, the squad seems a little bleak. The loopholes are expounded below:

Too many aged players

There are 7 players in the current squad who are either past their 30s or are about to enter them. Therefore, they aren’t healthy prospects to be groomed forward even if they show signs of leading a side through their body language on the field. A makeshift captain will do the job, but won’t be of any good in the long run.

Herath’s dominance in terms of number of matches

The squad has an experience of 201 matches at an average of 14.35 matches per player. By putting aside the number of matches Herath has played, the average drops down to a drab 9.84 per player. With the growing exactitudes of Test cricket, any player of the squad is inexperienced to take the burden of Test captaincy.

20 wickets win a match

An opponent must be bundled out twice in a match in order to win a Test match. A bowler, being a captain, can marshal his troops efficiently and it’s a necessity in Test cricket. Rangana Herath’s selection as a captain makes sense from that point of view, but if it’s a long-term strategy, then it may take time to actually steer the approach forward after Herath’s retirement. The squad has an aggregate of 462 wickets, out of which 71.87% goes to Herath.

Batting consistency also a necessity for captaincy

Apart from their mobile nature and ability to innovate in Test cricket, a hemorrhage of runs by Virat Kohli and Steven Smith has ensured that they can be trusted with taking the role of captaincy. The Sri Lankan batting arsenal has Dimuth Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva with the most number of matches, but averages of 31.43 and 30.89 respectively are huge disappointments. Therefore handing them leadership roles will be equivalent to taking gambles.

A mountain to climb

Sri Lankan cricket board somehow has to groom a player into a potential skipper

Sri Lanka are languishing way down at number 6 in the ICC Test rankings and it’ doesn’t come as a shocker. They have lost the likes of Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardena and Arjuna Ranatunga down the line, but it won’t be accepted as an excuse for not producing quality skippers.

There are West Indies who have capitulated due to lack of an astute skipper and Sri Lanka might be heading in the same direction. They have got the better of Australia 3-0 in the recent Test series, but there should always be a backup skipper.

Herath’s not getting any younger and it’s high time they start grooming another captain. Sri Lankan players also need to perform consistently for the team management to bank on them. The role of a skipper is instrumental in selecting the team. Sri Lanka has Angelo Mathews, but again, he won’t be there forever.

All data provided is before the start of the first Test between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe at Harare