Sri Lankan captain Dimuth Karunaratne had, at the end of their campaign at the 2019 ICC World Cup, said that the process for rebuilding begins immediately, and first on their agenda will be the visiting Bangladesh.
For the Lankans, the first of the three ODIs (July 26) at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo in the series will also be the farewell match for ace fast bowler Lasith Malinga, a player they will be looking replace at the earliest.
Malinga, 35, is Sri Lanka’s third-highest ODI wicket-taker with 335 wickets from 225 matches, behind only Chaminda Vaas (399) and Muttiah Muralitharan (523). Malinga needs three wickets to overhaul Anil Kumble’s 337 for ninth place on the international list.
Karunaratne acknowledged that replacing Malinga is just one of the many challenges his side faces at this point in time. The likes of Kusal Perera, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis and Angelo Mathews will all be expected to step up and turn a corner.
The Lankans will need to focus on all three departments during the series as the batting, fielding and bowling showed major weaknesses during the World Cup.
What’s more is that coach Chandika Hathurusingha and his assistants will be shown the door after the Bangladesh series because of their sixth-place finish in England and Wales.
