Sri Lanka’s resurgence in limited-overs cricket has given captain Charith Asalanka a “good headache” as he faces a wealth of batting talent vying for spots in the top order. The team’s recent 2-1 ODI series victory over the West Indies marked their third consecutive white-ball series triumph, following wins against the Windies in T20Is and India in ODIs.
Nishan Madushka’s impressive form has been a revelation for Sri Lanka. The opener scored 38 and 69 in the two ODIs he played, replacing the injured Pathum Nissanka. Nissanka returned to the side in the final ODI and struck a half-century.
With Madushka, Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Avishka Fernando, and Kusal Perera all in solid form, there is intense competition for the top three batting positions. Asalanka believes this will make it difficult for the team management to select the squad for upcoming matches.
“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.
The captain also praised the National Super League (NSL) for helping him regain his form. “In the last series, against India, I wasn’t in form. 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,” he said.
Sri Lanka will next face New Zealand in two T20Is and three ODIs, starting on November 9 in Dambulla. After that, the team will travel to South Africa for two Tests from November 27.
