In the midst of a transition period, is Sri Lankan cricket dying a slow death?

The indecisiveness and lack of planning

When Mathews promises an aggressive approach towards the Indian spinners, one can sense the hollowness in his voice. Sri Lanka continues to go through the rigors of batting, bowling, and fielding and returning with a vacant expression at the end of the day. All talks of consistency and intent hold no good, for despite having an immediate plan, they barely have an idea about what to do next. Perhaps, this is why Ishant, Umesh Yadav, and Stuart Binny ran through their batting order today sharing as many as eight wickets among them.

A couple of passing thoughts about captaincy bogging down Mathews would have been entertained had he not scored two centuries and two half-centuries in his last four Tests. Similarly, Rangana Herath’s intermittent failures could have questioned his place in the side had he not possessed the facilities of a match-winner. Indeed, it is Herath’s inconsistency that aptly summarizes the team’s oscillating fortunes in their last five outings – loss, win, loss, win and loss in that order.

Injury-prone fast-bowlers turning out to be a bane

The fast-bowling department, on the other hand, remains as fragile as ever with the skipper being forced to field different combinations for each Test. After Shaminda Eranga strained a muscle in the groin and Surangama Lakmal strained his side in the lead-up to the first Test, Nuwan Pradeep injured his hamstring before the second. Dushmantha Chameera then stunned everybody with his raw pace before injuring himself and becoming unavailable for the series decider at SSC, Colombo.

Even with the likes of Dhammika Prasad trying his best to shoulder the attack at 32, the brittleness of their bodies continues to overwhelm the efficacy – whatever little there is – of their bowling.

As Sri Lanka prepares to adjust to a life without the greats, Mathews may have wondered more than once whether he deserved such a team of aging rookies with immense potential but no future. They have been spotted so late in their domestic careers that one fears, they would be well past their prime by the time they end up peaking in international cricket.

As for the island nation, the prospects, to be honest, do look bleak, and the sufferings permanent. A squadron of uninspired warriors under able but inept leadership lives and dies by the sword of probability. Although difficult, seeking consistency, mending ways and chalking out a workable long-term plan would be the first steps of re-establishment in the post-Sanga era.