Sri Lanka’s chief selector Upul Tharanga and his colleagues have shown their Incompetence once again, by picking veterans Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Ramesh Mendis for the Pakistan T20 tri-series and rising stars Asia Cup respectively.
Rajapaksa, the middle order batter, who last played a T20I at the start of the year, was back in the squad for the shortest format, having missed two bilateral series and the Asia Cup since then.
As per Upul and Co logic, Rajapaksa’s recall is partly down to some explosive batting in the recent SLC T20 tournament, in which he struck at 163 across four innings. Another excuse is that Sri Lanka has generally struggled for firepower in the middle order in the recent past!
Going by these outdated logics, Upul and his colleagues Ignored the fact that Rajapaksa is already 34.
Moreover, he is a classic example of unfulfilled potential. As a youth player, he was highly regarded, drawing comparisons to Adam Gilchrist for his aggressive style. He was the leading run-scorer for Sri Lanka in the 2010 Under-19 World Cup and the first Sri Lankan U19 player to amass 1000 Youth ODI runs.
However, his senior international career has not lived up to this early promise. Despite his natural stroke-making ability and a high strike rate, his performances have been inconsistent at the international level. His career T20I average is around 23, which some feel is low for a player of his talent.
To make things worse, Rajapaksa always struggles with fitness Issues. Once, he publicly clashed with Sri Lankan cricket authorities and coaches over fitness standards (specifically skinfold tests). Former head coach Mickey Arthur even labeled him a “comfort zone cricketer”.
Critics argue that a lack of commitment to physical fitness prevented him from fully realizing his potential. However, as the T20 World Cup is just around the corner, it seems that selectors have decided to draft him in the mix one more time!
Ramesh Mendis’s Inclusion in the rising stars Asia Cup also highlights bankruptcy in selectors vision!
The tournament is designed to bring together the most promising young cricketers from across Asia, offering a platform for future international stars to showcase their skills. Ramesh Mendis, though, is already 30 and has played 16 tests along with a couple of T20s and ODIs for Sri Lanka!
In the domestic circle, young off-spinners like Ashen Daniel, Senitha Helambage and Ravindu Fernando have performed exceptionally well and have shown great future. They were the deserving young players for competitive exposure, with the Rising Stars Asia Cup serving as a crucial stepping stone toward senior team selection.
Upul Tharanga and gang, though, has picked 30 year old, lazy and a longer version player Ramesh Mendis!
