Pallekele, Oct 27
Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka is happy to have a 'good headache' with the resurgence of their batters in the limited-overs format. They registered their third consecutive white-ball series with the 2-1 victory over West Indies in the ODI series on Saturday.
Previously, they won the T20I series against the Windies before defeating India in the ODI series. For Sri Lanka, opener Nishan Madushka's form came as a surprise as the batter scored 38 and 69 in the two ODIs that the team won after coming in place of injured Pathum Nissanka, who struck a half-century upon his return to the side in the final ODI against West Indies.
With Madushka, Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (who smashed a 19-ball fifty in the rain-shortened third ODI), Avishka Fernando, and even Kusal Perera, there is now intense competition for spots in the top three, all among batters in solid form.
Asalanka feels the recent performances of the top-order batters will give the team management a tough time in selecting the squad ahead.
"I'm very happy about Nishan Madushka's form. If we have a player in that kind of form on the bench, that's a big win for us. Now when we go into a selection meeting, we've got good headaches. The selectors, coach, and I have a tough time choosing a team," Asalanka said after the series win.
"At the moment we're in the process of devising a system where we give players a good enough run in the team, and then also give others a turn. That's why today Nishan Madushka was dropped and we brought Pathum Nissanka back - there's no point talking much about Nissanka, we know he's been a special player for two or three years. Avishka played really well in the last series, so we needed to give him his place as well. But we now have a lot more hope about Nishan as well."
"If we have a player in that kind of form on the bench, that's a big win for us. Now when we go into a selection meeting, we've got good headaches," added Asalanka on Madushka's form.
Asalanka, who was named Player of the ODI Series against the West Indies for his scores of 77 and an unbeaten 62 in the first two matches, credited the NSL for his revival during the recent tour.
"In the last series, against India, I wasn't in form. He'd made 49 across three ODI innings. But I played the NSL tournament and got an excellent result out of that. We've got to thank the board for holding the NSL. It's a tournament that has a competitive level of cricket. And that's for any player, whether you're in the national team or not. It's a place where you can gain form, build up your game, and come up," he said.
Sri Lanka will now face New Zealand in two T20Is and three ODIs, starting on November 9 in Dambulla. After that, the team will fly to South Africa to play two Tests from November 27.