Asitha Fernando - Marks 9
17 wickets at 24
Econ 4.23
SR 3
4fer 1
5fer 1
5/102 & 3/52
Lord's
4/103 & 2/25
Manchester
1/88 & 2/49
The Oval
Easily the pick of the bowlers. Bowled with incredible heart and vigour to keep us in the game in many situations where it could have been much worse for us. If Aquib Javed’s comparison of him to Mohomad Asif turns out to be true, we really could have real special talent on our hands. He also crossed into the ICC top 10 - a rarity for modern SL bowlers. On song he is clocking 80-85 miles. Which is good enough. But his worth ethic and being able to operate consistently in the corridor is what sets him apart.
If I can find any fault it is that at times his tactics might be not 100% right. But I am not going to pin this on him because I think the captain made mistakes in different situations and asked him to bowl to fields which might not have been the most suitable.
It's great to see a resurgence of Sri Lankan quicks coming through the ranks now; Asitha, Vishwa, Lahiru. We might have Silverwood to thank for that given that was one of his directives, we are reaping the rewards slowly
The real challenge now is to keep these bowlers fit and available when we need them. If we can manage that, there are plenty of positive signs ahead.
----
Lahiru Kumara - Marks 8
11 wickets at 24
Econ 4.64
SR 31.9
2/97 & 4/21 - The Oval
2/101 & 3/53 - Lord's
What to make of Lahiru. He seems the prototype new-gen SL fast bowler. Short, kind of on the heavier side fitness wise, injury prone but offering a glimpse of a semi decent bowler.
He looked rusty at Lord's on the first day, losing his stamina towards the end when Sri Lanka needed it most. However, he steadily found his rhythm over the remaining three innings, and his burst on the third day in the final Test arguably deserved a five-fer.
The challenge for Lahiru remains the same as it has always been - can he stay fit enough to string together a series of matches and continue to improve his accuracy? We have yet to see any special skills from him around reverse swing to make effective use of the old ball. While he certainly looks the part on pitches that offer assistance, like at The Oval, he will need to add a few more tricks to his arsenal, especially considering he will play most of his matches at home, where his record remains abysmal. With Javed as a guiding hand, this should hopefully not be too hard to master.
On SENA pitches with a bit of assistance, he can be a handful—and that is something to build upon.
---
Vishwa Fernando - Marks 6
7 wickets at 29.28
Econ- 4.22
SR - 41.57
2/46 & 3/40 - The Oval
2/73 & 0/46 - Manchester
If any of the Sri Lankan seamers seemed primed for success on this tour, it was Vishwa Fernando. Coming off a three-match stint with Yorkshire in 2023, where he took 17 wickets at an average of 13, including a five-for and two four-fors, and an earlier spell with Durham last year, Vishwa had both the experience of bowling on these pitches and the form to back it up.
However, he failed to make an impact until the second last day of the series when he found the searing inswing reminiscent of his ancestor in the mould of Chaminda Vaas.
Vishwa has every attribute needed that should have made him succeed in this series, but he seemed to lack form or ability to deliver in crucial moments when Sri Lanka needed him earlier in the series. Javed said that Vishwa went all out in the breathtaking spell at The Oval, which begs the question of what happened earlier in the series.
His left-armers are a vital necessity to Sri Lanka’s attack in terms of variety and creating rough areas for Jayasuriya to work with. Hopefully his confidence is back up now and we will get to see richer dividends from him in the rest of the WTC.
---
Milan Ratnayeke - Marks 5
10 wickets at 32
Econ 4.15
SR 46.3
151 runs at 30 (50s -1)
7, 3/56 & 1/43 - The Oval
19 & 43, 2/89 & 2/36 - Lord's
72 & 10, 1/66 & 1/31 - Manchester
He earns 5 points, mostly for his decent knocks when it mattered. His selection for the first Test was a surprise, seemingly based on little more than his performance in the tour game where he swung the ball well. It felt very much like a horses-for-courses pick.
Will he be good enough to be picked for home conditions or the bouncier pitches on the SENA circuit? That seems unlikely. Sri Lanka are certainly in need of a decent all-rounder lower down the order, but Milan does not seem to be the answer—or perhaps it's still too early to say.
----
Prabath Jasuriya - Marks 4
8 wickets at 48
Econ 79
1/96 & 2/105 - Lord's
3/85 & 2/98 - Manchester
Came into the test with a 5fer to his name in the warm up but perhaps unsurprisingly wasn’t as effective as Sri Lanka would have hoped.
He didn’t get much turn but looked threatening on the rare occasions when he did. In his first 10 overs in the first test he was expensive, but managed to reel it back in the next 10 overs he bowled, with a couple of rippers to Brook and Woakes.
After that Prabath sort of went missing. It's not the first time a Sri Lankan spinner has been ineffective overseas but with a late summer slot perhaps Sri Lanka needed a tad bit more from him overall.
17 wickets at 24
Econ 4.23
SR 3
4fer 1
5fer 1
5/102 & 3/52
Lord's
4/103 & 2/25
Manchester
1/88 & 2/49
The Oval
Easily the pick of the bowlers. Bowled with incredible heart and vigour to keep us in the game in many situations where it could have been much worse for us. If Aquib Javed’s comparison of him to Mohomad Asif turns out to be true, we really could have real special talent on our hands. He also crossed into the ICC top 10 - a rarity for modern SL bowlers. On song he is clocking 80-85 miles. Which is good enough. But his worth ethic and being able to operate consistently in the corridor is what sets him apart.
If I can find any fault it is that at times his tactics might be not 100% right. But I am not going to pin this on him because I think the captain made mistakes in different situations and asked him to bowl to fields which might not have been the most suitable.
It's great to see a resurgence of Sri Lankan quicks coming through the ranks now; Asitha, Vishwa, Lahiru. We might have Silverwood to thank for that given that was one of his directives, we are reaping the rewards slowly
The real challenge now is to keep these bowlers fit and available when we need them. If we can manage that, there are plenty of positive signs ahead.
----
Lahiru Kumara - Marks 8
11 wickets at 24
Econ 4.64
SR 31.9
2/97 & 4/21 - The Oval
2/101 & 3/53 - Lord's
What to make of Lahiru. He seems the prototype new-gen SL fast bowler. Short, kind of on the heavier side fitness wise, injury prone but offering a glimpse of a semi decent bowler.
He looked rusty at Lord's on the first day, losing his stamina towards the end when Sri Lanka needed it most. However, he steadily found his rhythm over the remaining three innings, and his burst on the third day in the final Test arguably deserved a five-fer.
The challenge for Lahiru remains the same as it has always been - can he stay fit enough to string together a series of matches and continue to improve his accuracy? We have yet to see any special skills from him around reverse swing to make effective use of the old ball. While he certainly looks the part on pitches that offer assistance, like at The Oval, he will need to add a few more tricks to his arsenal, especially considering he will play most of his matches at home, where his record remains abysmal. With Javed as a guiding hand, this should hopefully not be too hard to master.
On SENA pitches with a bit of assistance, he can be a handful—and that is something to build upon.
---
Vishwa Fernando - Marks 6
7 wickets at 29.28
Econ- 4.22
SR - 41.57
2/46 & 3/40 - The Oval
2/73 & 0/46 - Manchester
If any of the Sri Lankan seamers seemed primed for success on this tour, it was Vishwa Fernando. Coming off a three-match stint with Yorkshire in 2023, where he took 17 wickets at an average of 13, including a five-for and two four-fors, and an earlier spell with Durham last year, Vishwa had both the experience of bowling on these pitches and the form to back it up.
However, he failed to make an impact until the second last day of the series when he found the searing inswing reminiscent of his ancestor in the mould of Chaminda Vaas.
Vishwa has every attribute needed that should have made him succeed in this series, but he seemed to lack form or ability to deliver in crucial moments when Sri Lanka needed him earlier in the series. Javed said that Vishwa went all out in the breathtaking spell at The Oval, which begs the question of what happened earlier in the series.
His left-armers are a vital necessity to Sri Lanka’s attack in terms of variety and creating rough areas for Jayasuriya to work with. Hopefully his confidence is back up now and we will get to see richer dividends from him in the rest of the WTC.
---
Milan Ratnayeke - Marks 5
10 wickets at 32
Econ 4.15
SR 46.3
151 runs at 30 (50s -1)
7, 3/56 & 1/43 - The Oval
19 & 43, 2/89 & 2/36 - Lord's
72 & 10, 1/66 & 1/31 - Manchester
He earns 5 points, mostly for his decent knocks when it mattered. His selection for the first Test was a surprise, seemingly based on little more than his performance in the tour game where he swung the ball well. It felt very much like a horses-for-courses pick.
Will he be good enough to be picked for home conditions or the bouncier pitches on the SENA circuit? That seems unlikely. Sri Lanka are certainly in need of a decent all-rounder lower down the order, but Milan does not seem to be the answer—or perhaps it's still too early to say.
----
Prabath Jasuriya - Marks 4
8 wickets at 48
Econ 79
1/96 & 2/105 - Lord's
3/85 & 2/98 - Manchester
Came into the test with a 5fer to his name in the warm up but perhaps unsurprisingly wasn’t as effective as Sri Lanka would have hoped.
He didn’t get much turn but looked threatening on the rare occasions when he did. In his first 10 overs in the first test he was expensive, but managed to reel it back in the next 10 overs he bowled, with a couple of rippers to Brook and Woakes.
After that Prabath sort of went missing. It's not the first time a Sri Lankan spinner has been ineffective overseas but with a late summer slot perhaps Sri Lanka needed a tad bit more from him overall.
