Matthews Should Not Be Held Responsible for Lanka’s Debacle.
Posted on September 24th, 2018
Top Spin by Suni
– 23rd Sept 2018
It seems unfair that Angelo Mathews has to bear the crunch of what happened at the Asia Cup as contrary to what some critics seem to think there is a limit to what a captain can do towards a favourable outcome if the odds are stacked against him and in his case at Dubai they certainly were.
Resting on ones laurels over past successes and past track records amount to zilch if the present team has snags and shortcomings and despite being a talented squad which was expected to come up shining they faltered in the opening round and were beaten by unlikely opponents who in the past would have been brushed away with ease.
The team simply did not perform and not a thousand Mathews at their best could have altered the outcome of the disastrous results as the weak top order failed to deliver and the bowling was mediocre to moot so what can one expect from such a team and why blame Matthews who is a classy, talented and assertive player but not a one man show,
True enough he is supposed to motivate and spur on the players towards knocking over the opponents but in this case Bangladesh and Afghanistan proved to be their nemeses as vastly improve teams with a will to win and the dily dallying approach of the Lankan players seemed to be waiting for the outcome to be decided by fate rather than performance as a team and fate indeed it was that sent them crashing out as a team where all Angelo Mathews could do was watch as his team crumbled.
He has accepted his critics with dignity and not blamed others but there seem to be contributory factors which could have possibly prevented the losses but history now,’ as the team must move on with important games looming in the near future.
It’s upto the coach and the team to go back to the drawing board and start anew their campaigns where there are a few issues that need to be addressed, one being the selection committee and its head who MUST take a part of the blame as being theirs, where certain key players were left out who might have made a difference. The general attitude of the chairman of selectors seems awry and questionable and probably time he was let go as he seems to be more a hindrance to the betterment of the team rather that an asset with his autocratic draconian and brash mentality which could be demoralizing to some players.
Then there is the issue of discipline where undisciplined players appear to be a bad influence on the team per se and quick rehabilitation efforts need to be set in place where the ground rules have to be stringent and a no nonsense approach towards reprisals and penalties should be in order as a deterrent ( Mathews himself has shown concern over this and needs to be pursued ) and the team need to get back into a winning mode post haste to soften the rumblings from many sources who believe the team is in the brink of disaster which if true needs to be averted.
As Mr Magic – Kumar Sangakkara has aptly commented ” The Coach Hathurusighe will get them going again !! ” which hopefully will be in the winning direction where there is much to be done collectively as a team where Angelo Mathews still needs to be an integral part of the team where it would be a shame to lose such a talented and brilliant gentleman player who needs a confidence booster and its upto the coach and the team to provide this rather than platforms to discourage him.
There is also the excitement in the air that Tillekeratne Dilshan may be contemplating a comeback which if true could be just the panacea the team needs as there still seems to be a lot of cricket left in him.
September 24th, 2018 at 5:51 pm
Our President destroyed the country. Still going good talking rubbish.
Our PM sold the country. Still going good making jokes.
Is destroying a country not significant as losing a ball game?
What a joke this is??
Sack the selection committee and the board and let Hathurusinghe revive the whole system along with the recommendations made by the trio Aravinda, Sanga and Mahela.
Reduce the influence on the board from the clubs and limit the number of votes to match a reasonable one similar to Australia.
Chase away the bookie master Thilanga.
September 25th, 2018 at 10:56 am
Hiranthe says- ” Sack the selection committee and the board and let Hathurusinghe revive the whole system along with the recommendations made by the trio Aravinda, Sanga and Mahela.
Reduce the influence on the board from the clubs and limit the number of votes to match a reasonable one similar to Australia.
Chase away the bookie master Thilanga.”
Well said ! !
Hiranthe is definitely on the right track and has made very viable comments re- Cricket Sri lanka.
Arjuna Ranatunga too has sounded a similar warning on Info Lanka.
The time seems right for a complete administrative set up overhaul or else it could be curtains for Sri Lankan Cricket.
September 25th, 2018 at 3:05 pm
Removing Matthews from captaincy is long overdue. Our win percentage during his term is a dismal 42% – the lowest since Aravinda’s captaincy. His personal captaincy record is a little better because he pulls out of difficult series half way. The poor temporary captain cops the defeat.
SLCB also have problems but don’t forget what Arjuna revealed. Players are not the type of players we had in 1996. Their foreign managers are trying to get them maximum financial benefits from whatever means.
Also listen to Dharmasena. He has noted a deterioration in our school cricket over the years.
We should have replaced Matthews’ batting position long ago as he is very uncertain. Unless he improves his consistency we are better without him in the team. One of the biggest reasons for our success in the past was consistency of key players – particularly the captain. Bowlers like Vaas, Murali and batsmen including Aravinda, Sanath, Kalu, Arjuna, Dilshan, Mahela and Sanga were like pillars. They were always there. Consistency is not just performance per match played but also consistency in the game. Sometime back Pakistan had plenty of talent but some of their players failed to appear for matches regularly resulting in the team suffering.
Good decision to remove Matthews at least now. It is very late but at least now the team can move forward (not backward). Don’t include him in the World Cup Squad.
September 25th, 2018 at 6:09 pm
Why pick on Mathews when no other batsman performed better than him recently in the short game. He cannot perform miracles without the help of his team mates. Remember, cricket is a team game, the coaches and the selectors are a part of that team. They should be equally responsible for the losses.
September 26th, 2018 at 8:26 am
Sorry to say but Dilrook is living in the past.Does not give credit where it is due and seems to fail in aligning with real issues that the team has been hit by setbacks hardly blameable on Mathews but yet could have been anticipated and corrected..Mathews had done a darnsight better than some of the younger players and is a good leader who is quick to admit his shortcomings and shows a lot of class.If he is snagged by recurring injuries it is upto the Cricket Board to assist him recover.Will Dilrook be saying the chairman of selectors Labrooy is doing a good Job- next?
September 26th, 2018 at 4:11 pm
I’m not defending the Board and the Selectors. They have their serious issues.
But our team’s fortunes are directly tied to captaincy when talent is there.
Just to point out, our second world cup win (2014 T20) was won under Malinga’s leadership despite Matthews being the captain since 2011. Same talent pool, different and more effective leadership. Even the stunning performance in Australia was registered under Malinga’s leadership in T20s.
It will take time to recover from 6 years of disaster. But we will get there if all 3 parties fix their issues.
We need a dependable captain. Not someone who pulls outs mid-way in a series. That ruins the momentum and puts selectors and batting line-up in a difficult spot. It also ruins the chances of the in-place new batsman. For this reason we could not develop a solid and established batting line up.
Good riddance!