A left-arm swing bowler who averages 24.12 in South Africa (Vishwa Fernando), a skiddy right-arm quick with 68 career wickets at 25.97 (Asitha Fernando), a fast bowler with 25 Test wickets at 22.68 for the season (Lahiru Kumara), and more excellent alternatives on the bench in Sri Lanka.
Lasith Malinga was a fiery batsman until his ailments overcame him, while Chaminda Vaas claimed 355 Test wickets, suggesting that Sri Lanka has had stronger quicks in the past. However, it’s likely that Sri Lanka has never had the depth of fast bowling they do now.
For instance, they did not include Kasun Rajitha in Durban, who is likely their tallest bowler and averages 25.00 in South Africa.
Few previous Sri Lanka captains, as far as Dhananjaya de Silva is aware, have been in charge of such seam-bowling capabilities.
Regarding his fast-bowling battery, de Silva remarked, “I’m very happy, because they know their games now, and what they need to do for the team.” Since he was the former captain and many of these bowlers began and progressed under his guidance, I believe I ought to give Dimuth Karunaratne a lot of credit. I’d want to give Dimuth aiya the credit for that since I get to enjoy those benefits as captain.”
“So far we’re still talking about how many fast bowlers we will play and will only make a decision on that later,” de Silva stated. “This track is really green.
“I believe that England’s series taught us that we can use our speed attack to win games abroad. We witnessed the outcomes at The Oval, where they have been getting better every day. The batsmen, who were dismissed for about 40, are solely to blame for the defeat in Durban, not our quick bowlers. That’s not how you win a test.
In reality, Vishwa grabbed four wickets in a match that Sri Lanka won at Gqeberha in 2019 during Karunaratne’s debut series as captain. At Newlands, Kumara made his debut on a global scale with a sensational nip-backer that struck the stumps of Hashim Amla, a hitter of no less renown.
Since then, Kumara’s performances in South Africa have been more subdued, and he has also suffered from ailments, most notably hamstring rips and strains. He will have played seven Test matches in 2024, which is his most for a calendar year, if he plays on Thursday, which is quite likely.
Due to injuries, he had been on and off the squad, but he has now been able to play regularly and identify his strengths and shortcomings.
Now that he’s played a number of games, he can support those qualities. That, in my opinion, has been the primary factor in his success.
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