Sri Lanka's road to 2026...

[Regista]

(06-17-2024, 06:56 PM)Pram Wrote:  

(06-17-2024, 05:58 PM)Regista Wrote:  Mendis is a burden at this point. When a player is as senior as he is, you’d expect him to do a lot more to keep his place in the team. I’d rather see someone new than try the same old combinations.

Also his stats aren’t that good.

PS: people arent butt hurt because we lost to SA and Bangladesh. We’re butt hurt because we’ve been losing for years!

You can’t remove the guy who is relatively performing well and expect things to change. Way to go forward is to remove lost cases in the format and try new people. Pathum, Mendis and Asalanka should stay.

I don’t understand the logic behind saying Mendis is a burden. Dasun is a burden at this point. Didn’t do anything noticeable in the entire tournament with the bat.

Every batsman from the 2015-2019 era should go. That includes Dasun.

Then we’d have Pathum, Asalanka and Kamindu left, plus the bowlers. That’s enough to build a team around.

[Pram]

(06-17-2024, 07:32 PM)Regista Wrote:  

(06-17-2024, 06:56 PM)Pram Wrote:  You can’t remove the guy who is relatively performing well and expect things to change. Way to go forward is to remove lost cases in the format and try new people. Pathum, Mendis and Asalanka should stay.

I don’t understand the logic behind saying Mendis is a burden. Dasun is a burden at this point. Didn’t do anything noticeable in the entire tournament with the bat.

Every batsman from the 2015-2019 era should go. That includes Dasun.

Then we’d have Pathum, Asalanka and Kamindu left, plus the bowlers. That’s enough to build a team around.

You are saying that without a logical reason. If it was a fruit basket you could throw away bad fruits because it’ll rotten the rest - it doesn’t apply to a sports team. Axing players from 2015-2019 because it was a bad patch makes no sense. I’m even up for keeping Bhanuka and KJP around for the next T20 WC. Both of them still have couple of years in them.

[BELSWILF]

(06-17-2024, 07:32 PM)Regista Wrote:  

(06-17-2024, 06:56 PM)Pram Wrote:  You can’t  remove the guy who is relatively performing well and expect things to change. Way to go forward is to remove lost cases in the format and try new people.  Pathum, Mendis and Asalanka should stay.

I don’t understand the logic behind saying Mendis is a burden. Dasun is a burden at this point. Didn’t do anything noticeable in the entire tournament with the bat.

Every batsman from the 2015-2019 era should go. That includes Dasun.

Then we’d have Pathum, Asalanka and Kamindu left, plus the bowlers. That’s enough to build a team around.

Regista has a great point!  People who started playing for SL during that time frame since Sanga-Mahela-Dilshan left, and still hanging around as senior players should be REMOVED as part of that T20 team building process.

In one of the two previous T20 WCs, I think the one played in UAE, Mendis did not play (probably due to suspension), and we actually did slightly better compared to the two following T20 WCs with him, playing (that includes this one).  So, those who feel scared to drop him, could actually have some comfort from such a record  

[pj57]

In my opinion, Asalanka should captain both ODI and T20Is going forward. I would keep Mendis in the white ball sides for the moment purely because his SR has been good in both formats. Having said that, I acknowledge he has to perform against top teams as one of the senior batters in the team. Pathum has to correct his mistakes early in his innings, has to bat long into the innings which he is capable of doing. Not sure whether Kamindu at #3 will work but maybe few more chances should be given. Mathews, Dasun, DdS and Samarawickrama should not be considered for t20Is. So, Pathum, Kusal, Kamindu, Asalanka, Hasaranga and the bowlers to stay, give KJP and Bhanuka few more opportunities to come good. If not get couple of new faces from the domestic circuit. This is my opinion for the short term.

On the medium to long term, we need to have a proper program to harness talent for each format from a young age and give them specialist coaching/training. Otherwise, we will stagnate among the associates in the future.

[mugatiya]

Over the past 2-3 years, I've refrained from engaging in discussions about personnel, as it seems increasingly irrelevant. Ultimately, the issue boils down to whether those selected can perform.

We can no longer rely on first-class records, and the LPL offers no reliable measure either. There is no definitive metric to identify world-class talent in Sri Lanka. These players simply have to get into the national side, and only then can we judge if they are good enough by observing them at the international level. We could end up with stars like Pathum or end up with duds.

I don't think dropping Mendis is the right move. He has shown he has the capability at this level; he just needs to find consistency. This is something he needs to achieve in the next 12-18 months across all formats.

Building a team cannot be accomplished by discarding every player. A blend of experienced individuals and promising talent is essential.

But there are so many areas this team needs to improve that go beyond the composition of the side. The drive, hunger, and hard work needed for success at this level cannot be underestimated.

Did anyone see Roger Federer's speech at the Dartmouth graduation? Even players who have reached the pinnacle and stayed there for so long talk about how talent alone is never enough. It's the daily drive and hard work that lead to success. It reminded me a lot of what Sanga used to be like. We need players with that mindset in the squad.

I won't cast aspersions because I'm not close to the squad or know these players personally, but from the outside looking in, I think we all sense a difference between this batch of players and those we had in the past. This difference is becoming more tangible to all observers. These are genuine issues we can address with good leadership from both the coaching staff and the captain.

[slcricfan1]

Opinions on dasun have reversed quite quickly huh? He averaged 15 this year at a s/r of 132. 29 last year at a s/r of 172. 28 at a s/r of 135 the year before. lol

[slcricfan1]

(06-18-2024, 12:27 AM)mugatiya Wrote:  Over the past 2-3 years, I've refrained from engaging in discussions about personnel, as it seems increasingly irrelevant. Ultimately, the issue boils down to whether those selected can perform.

We can no longer rely on first-class records, and the LPL offers no reliable measure either. There is no definitive metric to identify world-class talent in Sri Lanka. These players simply have to get into the national side, and only then can we judge if they are good enough by observing them at the international level. We could end up with stars like Pathum or end up with duds.

I don't think dropping Mendis is the right move. He has shown he has the capability at this level; he just needs to find consistency. This is something he needs to achieve in the next 12-18 months across all formats.

Building a team cannot be accomplished by discarding every player. A blend of experienced individuals and promising talent is essential.

But there are so many areas this team needs to improve that go beyond the composition of the side. The drive, hunger, and hard work needed for success at this level cannot be underestimated.

Did anyone see Roger Federer's speech at the Dartmouth graduation? Even players who have reached the pinnacle and stayed there for so long talk about how talent alone is never enough. It's the daily drive and hard work that lead to success. It reminded me a lot of what Sanga used to be like. We need players with that mindset in the squad.

I won't cast aspersions because I'm not close to the squad or know these players personally, but from the outside looking in, I think we all sense a difference between this batch of players and those we had in the past. This difference is becoming more tangible to all observers. These are genuine issues we can address with good leadership from both the coaching staff and the captain.

I mean, the public has been very dissatisfied for years now. You would think getting all out for 50 twice, losing against namibia and whatever would give these guys some drive by now. i watch mendis and hasaranga`s reactions in that last game and i really do feel they care. I dont know if the magical leadership that they need exists

[mugatiya]

(06-18-2024, 12:33 AM)slcricfan1 Wrote:  

(06-18-2024, 12:27 AM)mugatiya Wrote:  Over the past 2-3 years, I've refrained from engaging in discussions about personnel, as it seems increasingly irrelevant. Ultimately, the issue boils down to whether those selected can perform.

We can no longer rely on first-class records, and the LPL offers no reliable measure either. There is no definitive metric to identify world-class talent in Sri Lanka. These players simply have to get into the national side, and only then can we judge if they are good enough by observing them at the international level. We could end up with stars like Pathum or end up with duds.

I don't think dropping Mendis is the right move. He has shown he has the capability at this level; he just needs to find consistency. This is something he needs to achieve in the next 12-18 months across all formats.

Building a team cannot be accomplished by discarding every player. A blend of experienced individuals and promising talent is essential.

But there are so many areas this team needs to improve that go beyond the composition of the side. The drive, hunger, and hard work needed for success at this level cannot be underestimated.

Did anyone see Roger Federer's speech at the Dartmouth graduation? Even players who have reached the pinnacle and stayed there for so long talk about how talent alone is never enough. It's the daily drive and hard work that lead to success. It reminded me a lot of what Sanga used to be like. We need players with that mindset in the squad.

I won't cast aspersions because I'm not close to the squad or know these players personally, but from the outside looking in, I think we all sense a difference between this batch of players and those we had in the past. This difference is becoming more tangible to all observers. These are genuine issues we can address with good leadership from both the coaching staff and the captain.

I mean, the public has been very dissatisfied for years now. You would think getting all out for 50 twice, losing against namibia and whatever would give these guys some drive by now. i watch mendis and hasaranga`s reactions in that last game and i really do feel they care. I dont know if the magical leadership that they need exists

There’s nothing magical about good leadership. It's a skill in itself. Sure, the players are hurting and disappointed right now. They are human. Who wouldn't be as professional sportsmen But the real question is whether they were hungry enough to want more 12 or 18 months ago. Or even further back in certain cases.

These losses are the result of small lapses over time: a drop in fitness, a drop in focus, a drop in drive, and a lack of discipline. All these little things add up to poor performances on the field over time.

Losing is a part of sport – we all know this. Losing itself isn't the issue; it's about whether the team is progressing and moving forward bit by bit. Our bowling is clearly working; the skill is evident, and all the bowlers are improving steadily. However, the same can't be said for our batting, tactics, on-field smarts etc.

[kalu5678]

Agree.

(06-13-2024, 06:08 PM)stillwill Wrote:  ITS OVER !!!!!!!GET THE FK OUT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(06-17-2024, 10:53 PM)pj57 Wrote:  In my opinion, Asalanka should captain both ODI and T20Is going forward. I would keep Mendis in the white ball sides for the moment purely because his SR has been good in both formats. Having said that, I acknowledge he has to perform against top teams as one of the senior batters in the team. Pathum has to correct his mistakes early in his innings, has to bat long into the innings which he is capable of doing. Not sure whether Kamindu at #3 will work but maybe few more chances should be given. Mathews, Dasun, DdS and Samarawickrama should not be considered for t20Is. So, Pathum, Kusal, Kamindu, Asalanka, Hasaranga and the bowlers to stay, give KJP and Bhanuka few more opportunities to come good. If not get couple of new faces from the domestic circuit. This is my opinion for the short term.

On the medium to long term, we need to have a proper program to harness talent for each format from a young age and give them specialist coaching/training. Otherwise, we will stagnate among the associates in the future.

[mugatiya]

(06-18-2024, 12:55 AM)mugatiya Wrote:  

(06-18-2024, 12:33 AM)slcricfan1 Wrote:  I mean, the public has been very dissatisfied for years now. You would think getting all out for 50 twice, losing against namibia and whatever would give these guys some drive by now. i watch mendis and hasaranga`s reactions in that last game and i really do feel they care. I dont know if the magical leadership that they need exists

There’s nothing magical about good leadership. It's a skill in itself. Sure, the players are hurting and disappointed right now. They are human. Who wouldn't be as professional sportsmen But the real question is whether they were hungry enough to want more 12 or 18 months ago. Or even further back in certain cases.

These losses are the result of small lapses over time: a drop in fitness, a drop in focus, a drop in drive, and a lack of discipline. All these little things add up to poor performances on the field over time.

Losing is a part of sport – we all know this. Losing itself isn't the issue; it's about whether the team is progressing and moving forward bit by bit. Our bowling is clearly working; the skill is evident, and all the bowlers are improving steadily. However, the same can't be said for our batting, tactics, on-field smarts etc.

And if what you say is true, and they are hardworking have the drive, and this is all they can come up with, we simply need to accept that we are somewhere in the 7-10 ranked teams and maybe even lower in certain formats and adjust expectations accordingly.

I try to stay positive and think we can still turn this around at some point. But maybe I am wrong. Which is a very sad place to be as a fan.