In the post match news conference on Thursday, Muttiah Muralitharan made a potent statement. Sri Lanka’s talismanic off-spinner said that the team “won’t really miss him”. Was he speaking the truth or being characteristically humble?
Looking at the bunch of bowlers waiting in the wings, we may have to agree with Murali. Gone are the days when Sri Lankan bowling was just about Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas and a host of unknown players with long names.
Now Sri Lanka have an unorthodox spinner in Ajantha Mendis. Rangana Herath and Suraj Randiv are no pushovers either. The pace department, too, looks robust. Lasith Malinga is not just a ‘style’ icon. The slinger, who made a comeback to Test cricket after almost two years, ran away with the Man of the Match award in Galle.
Former Test player Champaka Priyadarshana Hewage Ramanayake, who is now Sri Lanka’s bowling coach, says producing “quality fast bowlers” is their topmost priority. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has built fast bowling academies and organises frequent talent hunt programmes to unearth seamers.
“Yes, we are slowly developing into fast-bowling nation. We have bowlers who are excellent but are sitting on the bench. And we have someone like Lasith Malinga who is express and difficult for any batsman to face,” Ramanayake, who played 18 Tests from 1988 to 1993, told DNA.
“At the junior level, we have got bowlers who can touch 140kmph regularly and we are preparing them for the future,” he added.
So why is Sri Lanka, a nation whose strength has been spin bowling, suddenly focussing on pacers?
The 45-year-old says the idea is to tap the “aggro factor” in youngsters. “When you are young, you tend to be more aggressive. Hence, you are more inclined towards fast bowling. And when there is someone like Malinga to follow, the job becomes easy. I have observed that most youngsters want to run in, bowl fast and intimidate batsmen. This is why we are stressing on developing pacers.”
Malinga is indirectly ‘helping’ Ramanayake in his mission.
“Lasith is an icon for youngsters. He is a different kind of a bowler with a completely different style. He confuses batsmen with his slinging action and doesn’t believe in line and length. Maybe that’s why he is successful. He is a hit among youngsters and everyone wants to be like him,” Ramanayake said.
Ramanayake conceded it would be difficult to find a replacement for Muralitharan. “He is a great bowler. He has been our best and won us so many Test matches. We have talented young spinners but it would be difficult to fill the void left by Murali,” he added.
Ramanayake has faith in Mendis. “He is different kind of a bowler and is good at mixing deliveries. Then we have Randiv and Herath,” he added. Murali will be missed, but no one’s panicking. That’s good news for Sri Lanka.
