Sri Lanka's road to 2026...

[Bada]

https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricket-videos/t20-world-cup-2024-farveez-maharoof-some-interesting-calls-to-be-made-for-sri-lanka-going-forwar-1439236

[stillwill]

(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.

These 3 things can't be taught lol.

[BELSWILF]

(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.

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 give an H for "Hard work" to Muga!
Yes, I agree, the player commitment for training is a must.

I still think that one wrong decision cost us the entire WC tournament a Super-8 chance, but I now cannot convince anyone that was it. We as a team have messed up everything. Now, the fans need a new team, to a new captain to a more hard work to a total revamp, and I would not blame them either.

What was that one decision that like a Domino Effect, started our tournament's downfall?
Winning the Toss and Batting Frist like we are the Australians or the current West Indians batting lineup in New York against the Safers on that new, unknown wicket. Yes, Muga, We also always should have the intelligence to be aware of our strengths and weaknesses besides that "Hard Work" needed to put in

[pj57]

Forget the game against SA, we should have won against BD. If so, we would have in the super 8s. The main thing we tend to forget is that our team have been shit in this format in the last few years. We have been gloating over that Asia Cup win but we were in a bad position in that match as well until BR and Hasaranga took us to a match winning total. We need to accept the fact this team has been poor and it needs a complete overhaul and new strategies to be competitive against top teams.

I don't believe in domino effects, good teams come back from bad days. We couldn't/didn't because we are not a good team. Unless we accept this reality and keep giving irrelevant excuses, we will stagnate at the bottom of the table. Our captain and think tank keep telling us after every loss that they haven't learnt from their mistakes. We know that, we see it all the time, we have waited for nearly 10 years for them to learn and correct their mistakes. Cut the BS and get it done. We have heard enough excuses ffs.

[Pram]

Avishka should be in our long term plans for T20. However, he has an issue that he needs to work out right now. No point in bringing him back without fixing his issue.

[JamisBanda]

I like this stage where everyone throws out names who didn't play in the most recent cup, happens every time, if Avishka plays and fails next one and someone else sit out then it will be that one who would have made the difference.

[BELSWILF]

(06-18-2024, 12:49 PM)pj57 Wrote:  Forget the game against SA, we should have won against BD. If so, we would have in the super 8s. The main thing we tend to forget is that our team have been shit in this format in the last few years. We have been gloating over that Asia Cup win but we were in a bad position in that match as well until BR and Hasaranga took us to a match winning total. We need to accept the fact this team has been poor and it needs a complete overhaul and new strategies to be competitive against top teams.

I don't believe in domino effects, good teams come back from bad days. We couldn't/didn't because we are not a good team. Unless we accept this reality and keep giving irrelevant excuses, we will stagnate at the bottom of the table. Our captain and think tank keep telling us after every loss that they haven't learnt from their mistakes. We know that, we see it all the time, we have waited for nearly 10 years for them to learn and correct their mistakes. Cut the BS and get it done. We have heard enough excuses ffs.

Do you really understand what I have said before you wanted to contradict my statement?
1) We have beaten this same Bangla in their home soil in a T20 series 2-1 just 2 months before this WC, so losing to any team on a given day is part and parcel of cricket.  So, If that match alone is what deprived us of Super-8 entrance, then IICC should label the group stage matches as all "knockouts"  

2) When I was complaining about not having enough real T20 match practices for 2 months after that Bangla T20 series (i.e. in the "Chat Box", it was none but you decided to come after me and ridiculed me saying "LF - stop crying because we will be playing 2-warm up matches and also we are going to USA ahead of other teams to get acclimatized to the environment".  While others kept quite, you objected to my concerns.  Yes, it is now easy, after the fact, to find issues when none of them were mentioned by you before the WC.  All you do is, find the common, most acceptable talking point(s) for that period and keep repeating it, so you could get lot of acknowledgments from others.

I know your number, so simply get lost bro!

[stillwill]

(06-18-2024, 02:46 PM)Pram Wrote:  Avishka should be in our long term plans for T20. However, he has an issue that he needs to work out right now. No point in bringing him back without fixing his issue.

He bats well in domestic T20 matches alright. He just happen to average like 11 in International matches and thats a huge problem

[BELSWILF]

(06-18-2024, 02:52 PM)JamisBanda Wrote:  I like this stage where everyone throws out names who didn't play in the most recent cup, happens every time, if Avishka plays and fails next one and someone else sit out then it will be that one who would have made the difference.

Ha ha haa very true! I would add KJP to that list. When he failed in the last WC (ODI), no one wanted him in the team.

[pj57]

(06-18-2024, 04:33 PM)BELSWILF Wrote:  

(06-18-2024, 12:49 PM)pj57 Wrote:  Forget the game against SA, we should have won against BD. If so, we would have in the super 8s. The main thing we tend to forget is that our team have been shit in this format in the last few years. We have been gloating over that Asia Cup win but we were in a bad position in that match as well until BR and Hasaranga took us to a match winning total. We need to accept the fact this team has been poor and it needs a complete overhaul and new strategies to be competitive against top teams.

I don't believe in domino effects, good teams come back from bad days. We couldn't/didn't because we are not a good team. Unless we accept this reality and keep giving irrelevant excuses, we will stagnate at the bottom of the table. Our captain and think tank keep telling us after every loss that they haven't learnt from their mistakes. We know that, we see it all the time, we have waited for nearly 10 years for them to learn and correct their mistakes. Cut the BS and get it done. We have heard enough excuses ffs.

Do you really understand what I have said before you wanted to contradict my statement?
1) We have beaten this same Bangla in their home soil in a T20 series 2-1 just 2 months before this WC, so losing to any team on a given day is part and parcel of cricket.  So, If that match alone is what deprived us of Super-8 entrance, then IICC should label the group stage matches as all "knockouts"  

2) When I was complaining about not having enough real T20 match practices for 2 months after that Bangla T20 series (i.e. in the "Chat Box", it was none but you decided to come after me and ridiculed me saying "LF - stop crying because we will be playing 2-warm up matches and also we are going to USA ahead of other teams to get acclimatized to the environment".  While others kept quite, you objected to my concerns.  Yes, it is now easy, after the fact, to find issues when none of them were mentioned by you before the WC.  All you do is, find the common, most acceptable talking point(s) for that period and keep repeating it, so you could get lot of acknowledgments from others.

I know your number, so simply get lost bro!

I see you have gone to your kindergarten mode again. I didn't even reply to your post. I made my opinions known, that's it. It's a pity that you still don't understand that the forum doesn't revolve around you and me. All you do is complain like a kid. Your number is well known to me, so get over it and act like an adult.

Why are you complaining so much about the SA game if losing on a given day is part and parcel of cricket. It's not the first time a team has made a wrong decision to bat first nor it's the first time a team has played on a sub-standard pitch. We had a much better chance of beating BD on that day and if we did so, we were almost certain of a place in the Super 8s going by other results in our group. That was my point. Irrelevant comments doesn't help our cause.

"come after me and ridiculed me" LOL. What's this Belly, crying like a kid. My point was complaining so much doesn't help. Yes, not having proper t20 matches before the WC didn't help but even if we did, how can you say we would have done better because this team has been below par in the last few years. We hadn't played against a top team for more than 12 months as well. That's the reason, I had no high expectations of this team before the WC. We came up with lot of issues in the US but we can't use them as excuses as our team has been below par for years. It's better to look at how we can come out of this rut rather than complaining all the time.