With 2 pacers who can consistently bowl at a blistering speed of 130 KMPH or above, a mystery spinner for the ages, and an all-rounder in form, Sri Lanka’s bowling attack has been one of the, if not the best of all time.
Sitting atop the points table for group stage matches, Sri lanka still need to rack up a couple of victories in the remaining matches to gain a spot in the World Cup. Proving to be a good and balanced team against Namibia, coach Mickey Arthur said the bowling attack is “almost the ideal attack”.
“For us to have two bowlers of genuine quality bowling at 145kph – that makes a massive difference,” Arthur said. “We know that any team doesn’t like facing them. They’re genuine wicket-takers. Their skills have gotten better and better over the last couple of months. We’re really happy having them attack for us. Dushmantha Chameera has gone to another level. He’s now genuinely world-class. To have those bowlers in our line-up gives us a good balance. Chamika Karunaratne brings a little bit of swing. And we’ve got our two spinners. It’s almost the ideal attack, if you like.”
Ahead of their big match against Ireland, their batting order seems to have found its balance. But bowling second will mean competing with not only Ireland but also the ‘Dew factor’. As seen in the later stages of the IPL, keeping the ball dry has been a struggle for teams bowling second.