By: Samantha Hewabandula reporting from England for thesundayreader.lk
Former Sri Lankan cricketing legend Sidath Wettimuny recently visited Lord’s to watch Sri Lanka take on England in the second Test. Wettimuny, who famously made it to the honors board at Lord’s with a remarkable 190 in the Test played against the two countries in 1984, shared his thoughts on the current state of Sri Lankan cricket.
In a brief interview, Wettimuny expressed concerns about the state of school cricket in Sri Lanka. He remarked, “Our school cricket system is not as strong as it should be. In recent years, we haven’t seen emerging school cricketers making their mark. During my time and even after as a school cricketer, we had a wealth of talent like Arjuna Ranatunga, Roshan Mahanama, Aravinda de Silva, Ashantha de Mel, Sanath Jayasuriya, and Hashan Tillakaratne, all of whom showed exceptional skill and advanced to the Test level. Nowadays, such talent seems to be lacking. To elevate our cricket, we need to invest in and strengthen our school cricket system. It is crucial for building a solid foundation.”
When asked about Sri Lanka’s spin-friendly pitches, Wettimuny acknowledged that each country has its own strengths. “Sri Lanka’s pitches are designed to favor spin, which has been our strength,” he said. “However, we also need to develop faster pitches to better prepare for matches against teams like Australia, England, New Zealand, and the West Indies. Having a diverse range of pitch conditions will help us compete more effectively on the international stage.”
At the end of the 3rd days play here at Lords, Chasing a target of 483 Sri Lankans are at 53 for the loss of 2 wickets. Given the scenario, England would be looking at finishing the test on Sunday the 4th Day. Getting 3 to 4 wickets in the 1st session may help them to get the job done by ether Tea or by end of the day. However, Sri Lanka do have the depth in their batting and have shown quality of fight back with which they can certainly make a comeback and give the fight that its needed to get to the target. For that to happen, the Sri Lankans would need a few good partnerships for the 3rd and may be up to the 6th wicket. Its Test Cricket and given the uncertainties of this grate game, anything is possible.
