I think de Mel is on the right track & he will somehow resist the ludicrous idea of last moment CREEPING IN / appointing Dimuth Karunarathne as Odi Skipper to the WC as did in 2015 to carry heavy baggage as a paid TOURIST at the expense of poor SL fans.!

UT’s repeatedly disrupted last 11 innings, Since his series winning 50+ score in BD Jan 2018 – 56, (6 months without any internationals) 10, 9, 19, 36, 19, 27, 36, 0, (axed for 5 months without matches) 9, (axed for 2 matches) 4 = 225 runs @ 20.45 Average.

Tharanga’s 11 undistributed innings just prior to that : 112*, 61, 0, 8, 49, 7, 95, 11, 25, 17, 39* = 424 runs @ 47.11 Average

So you blindly think that lean patch of 8 inning without a 50 + score since his match winning vital 50+ is an EXTENDED RUN for Upul who scored 424 @ 47 Av in 11 innings prior to that ?

Because of selectively blind fans like you failing /reluctant to look at the whole picture to understand the despicable behind the scene agendas, makes it easy for those deliberate wrongdoers at the helm to ruin SL cricket.! Here are the proceedings of that agenda:

During that period the culprits behind the scene did not not allow Upul any chance to pick up his usual rhythm, while constantly failed Mendis, Dhana etc were allowed extended run of matches in both formats . In past 15 MONTHS Upul was wickedly forced to undergo a total of 11 MONTHS of LAYOFF TIME WITHOUT GIVING A SINGLE INTERNATIONAL MATCH> ( Jan – Jul 2018 = 6 months & Oct 2018 – March 2019 = 5 months) TWO AXING episodes (one axing was just after 1st international given after 5 months layoff in SA) imposed during those 15 innings !!!

Don’t you know current form cannot be measured after subjected to such systematic embarrassments?

just jotting down figures ran over past 15 months since 2018 to date, without any consideration to what kind of rhythm shattering, confidence busting despicable treatment Upul Tharanga has been subjected to shows the lack of in depth view to understand what can bring down any man (even if made out of steel) who dictated terms to the same bowlers in Cape Town SA, blasting them away to all corners of the park making a 90 ball 119 @ 132 SR with 11 x 4s & 7 x 6 (near 40 Av in 2017 series Vs SA) was reduced to ashes (3 interrupted innings after straight 5 months layoff – 15 runs @ 5 Av in 2019- SA) by repeated unsettling, demeaning mental torture & repeated rhythm shattering axing acts of Snakes & Vipers behind the scene.

Read my blog for further analysis on the subject:

https://www.islandcricket.lk/blogs/having-sight-without-vision-is-the-only-thing-worse-than-blindness/

Extended run in 2018 for world’s 3rd best run make in 2017 (1k+ @ near 50 av)Tharanga ? Are you joking? Do you think giving 13 innings & chopping (despite scoring 148 runs @ 37 average becoming SL’s only series winning man of the match in triangular series decider final in 2018)…. due to a 8 inning lapse without a 50 + score since that match winning vital 50+ is an extended run for Upul? Hopeless SL batting units, best run making top order batter in previous 2 years is an extended run?
This is called nose-length blind vision.

Dear friend, you are again missing the point here as most in this IC forums. I don’t expect to convince you or any of them. All I did here was disproving & challenging the blind statement.

How come you missed my point, factually & statistically proving the following statement in this blog is completely wrong as most of your other opinions?

“Unfortunately, Upul Tharanga, when selected in the national team, makes 50’s and 100’s against teams like Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe or the odd game at home against a better team. But that’s where it ends. He hasn’t stood up when we really needed him to perform against better opposition and crucial must-win games for the last few years….”

Now look how false your above statement is : 10 of UT’s 15 Hundreds were Vs SA -1 /En -3 /Pk-1 /Aus-1 / Nz-1 / Ind-2 / WI-1 and Two of those Tons (vs SA & Pk in away series) were scored within his last 28 innings.

25 of his 37 x 50+ were scored Vs ( SA- 3 / Eng- 3 / Aus – 3 / Nz- 5 / Ind – 6 / Pk- 5 )

These include 2 WC x100s + 4x 50+ / 2 ICC-CT x 100s & 2 x 50+ from 28 innings.!

So, how could you say, I am wrong in calling such baseless, unreal views (false statements) as “blind views” ? or what else it could be called?

Unlike the majority of clueless bloggers in these IC forums floating on their unreal personal opinions, I have always backed my every view or statement with factual substance like records & stats. They are not bare opinions like yours, with no evidence to back up.

Pinpointing & Facing the factual reality is NOT Attacking or Supporting anyone. but denying them with baseless opinions and making unreal false statements (inadvertently or intentionally) are distinctly different. It could be certainly considered as attacking or supporting someone .

I’m just pointing out what you are lacking in your vision, but I never expect to convince any sole engulfed in such below-par perception or for them to accept that fact 🙂

You have said;
“Unfortunately, Upul Tharanga, when selected in the national team, makes 50’s and 100’s against teams like Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe or the odd game at home against a better team. But that’s where it ends. He hasn’t stood up when we really needed him to perform against better opposition and crucial must-win games for the last few years”

Now look how false the above statement is : 10 of UT’s 15 Hundreds were Vs SA -1 /En -3 /Pk-1 /Aus-1 / Nz-1 / Ind-2 / WI-1 and Two of those Tons (vs SA & Pk in away series) were scored within his last 28 innings.

25 of his 37 x 50+ were scored Vs ( SA- 3 / Eng- 3 / Aus – 3 / Nz- 5 / Ind – 6 / Pk- 5 )

These include 2 WC x100s + 4x 50+ / 2 ICC-CT x 100s & 2 x 50+ from 28 innings.!

It is sad to see unreal, blind comments such as the above appear in these forums, while preaching to others about being open minded & unwillingness to think about other persons’ views. Also, talk big about the importance of looking at the big picture, while completely ignoring the frequency of unique harassment this guy had to overcome repeatedly during last 5yrs (more than repeated 10 axing episodes lasted from months to years without exposure, based on brief dips in form – common to every batter- ranging from 1 to 10 innings, spread of over months to years as seen during the last 11 innings spread over 15 months since his last 50+ in Jan 2018).

Ultimately as clearly evident from the effects of the systematic disruption crumbled to the evil forces relentlessly tried to end his career prematurely , because he is not made out of a steel to withstand it any more (seniority, experience,true abilities are all secondary to enormous ignominy, constant nonrecognition, condemnation in terms of diverging the repeated axe just on a SOLITARY inning allowed after 5 months layoff without international exposure, preferring a 20yr old rookie over a man who had scored 7k runs for SL & the most number of runs @ 37 Av – most number of 50+ (9) including highest number of 100+ (2) scores during past couple of years….. have any of you guys ever thought about benching such a senior pro to carry drinks for the next couple of decisive games in the series… relying more on a debutante rookie would have done to any person in his position, even with the most toughest mental strength to resist some third class mind games aiming to totally shatter confidence & dignity of a person…. ? Nope..! A man who dictated terms to the same bowlers in Capetown SA blasting them away to all corners of the park making a 90 ball 119 @ 132 SR with 11 x 4s & 7 x 6s, just a couple of year ago was clearly reduced to a mindless poor sole struggling to recollect his focus in the middle…. that was the sad end we saw from UT, thanks to the eccentric evil forces systematically succeeded to accomplished their goal at last.

Sadly we clearly saw it from mentally maimed UT’s last 2 international innings of his totally suppressed, but productive overall career yielded the most number of centuries from the least number of innings & being the quickest OR among the top two quickest in SL ODIs yielding every thousand run mile stone, up to his 7k fell short of a few more runs.

Now Delighted backers of such evil acts with different agendas are screaming & demanding Tharanga should never ever play for SL again.

The tone & phrases of demand itself shows their evil motives to make room for totally undeserved, unearned World Cup spot grabber/stealer like Dimuth Karunarathne (13 ings – 193 runs @ 15 Av – 68 SR ) to be parachuted again as ODI OPENER & SKIPPER too, repeat the same crime as in 2015 WC. He was just a paid tourist carrying heavy baggage in last WC & it won’t be any different if selected this time as well, with the pure blessings of Divine powers looking after SL cricket today.

@ Susantha talks about UT’s appalling form in last 12 ings reducing further down than actual to 15 Av & cutting off his 50+ score as well. But FYI, UT’s actual last 12 ings – 227 @ 19 Av – 1 x 50+

As most of mono-focal critics don’t even consider at least the 12 months innings prior to that brief lean patch in UT’s case, totally discarding/rejecting them as old, Now look & compare how abysmally failed the nominated new ODI skipper for the 2019 WC Dimuth Karunarathne’s, even in his own specialty of Test cricket during his last 11 Test inngs – 197 runs @ 17 Av – 1 x 50+

Base on that lean patch,(even worse than UT’s in relatively higher Av demanded Test arena) despite facing no mental pressure of axing enforced on him like UT’s case of getting the axe twice….

But instead of getting a double Axing like Tharanga experienced in his lean patch of 12 innings, this Divine blessed lucky guy get a double promotion to cross over in to an unfamiliar territory of ODIs, even without bare minimum credentials, zero proven ability & performances in that format even to earn a spot as 12th man or standby , let alone the captaincy. This Dimuth guy got lucky to win the SA Test series thanks to an incredible inning of KJP & the die hard efforts of bowlers. What did this Dimuth guy do as Opening batter & skipper to lead the side from front? Collecting 86 runs @ 21 Av from 4 test innings?

HOW do you explain this on going monkey business?

SL ODI cricket will never recover as long as this kind of mentality prevails. Whether we like it or not, that is the factual bottom line of this whole saga.

What a joke this is …… all they want is sending buddies to the WC for school tie prestige at the cost of entire cricket loving nation & millions of poor fans 🙁

In fact, bowlers did really well to limit them under 250 . But i don’t blame Malinga for blaming the batters for the downfall, since this was the case throughout every series played since 2017. How many times Upul got stranded without partners at the end to reach the goal? The best example is vs Pk in 2017, where bowlers restricted Pk to 219 & Opening skipper tharanga made an unbeaten 112* carrying the bat throughout the entire inning creating a world record as the 1st ever skipper to do so in a 50 over game. Yet, there was only the tail-ender specialist bowler No 9 – Vandersay (2nd highest scorer for SL) who was able to give some support to Upul from the other end. Bowler Vandersay lasted 55 balls showing stiff Resistance & unfortunately got out before the end (& No10,11 were quickly got run out), still 2 overs remaining, before Upul could pull those last few runs needed to stamp a famous victory in history. Rest of all the 9 batters collectively managed only 42 runs.! Dikka -2 / Mendis 10 /Thri-12/ Chandi-2/Siri -3/Thisara-4 /Akila-1/ lakmal-1/ gamage-3.!

That was the pathetic story of our batting in numerous occasions, ewen in whitewashes & historic defeat Vs Zmbabwe that could have been avoided.

I think this is a good suggestion. But I would like Dikka to come before Kusal Mendis. Kamindu should definitely play .

Dear Susantha, I have followed the thread & both original articles by you & Yohan. It seems you are diverting/evading the main issue of wrong stats & mythical assumptions, precisely questioned by Yohan in his article.

BTW, unlike your original article, Yohan has clearly backed up every single statement in his article with complete imagery evidence in the form of career statistics (related to each point he made in his article). This is a fact that anyone who followed the argument could see. So how could you say those are baseless, while making bare statements with no evidence to back it up..?

If you can’t prove them with APPROPRIATE evidence like stats, then they become baseless. and anyone could call them as mythical speculations of an individual.

It is simple. Why don’t you directly answer any of his questions regarding false statistics & mythical assumptions pertaining to KJP’s suitability as opener?

Are you still saying KJP had played 80 odi innings as Opener? You can answer Yes or No .

If yes, then prove it with any legitimate stats, different from Cricinfo’s (I have checked Yohan provided imagery evidence & they are legitimate Cricinfo stats pertaining to query) to back up your statement of 80 innings.

If you cannot, IC blog article readers need an apology from you for publishing false stats to mislead readers.

Kjp’s most recent 15 innings as Opener, Averaging 28 & a solitary 100 & 50 against bottom ranked minnows like Ireland & Zmbabwe is completely contradicting your exaggeration to show him as the best option to open. Although, you highly talked about his 135, but concealed the most important fact by failing to mention against whom he made that score, merrily :0

Also, almost 50% of KJP’s career innings as Opener ended up under <10 runs (mostly under <10 balls as well) as seen from Cricinfo stats of each single inning displayed by Yohan in his article.
He backed up every single statement he made to classify your suggested promotion of KJP to open, as a mythical proposal (since, selectors have already learned their lesson by a costly mistake of having tried KJP as opener in 50+ Odis, extended over 3 yrs since 2013).

My kind advise to you is, if writing an article to the public, pl make sure the content is factually correct. Statements made on baseless speculations have no validity. Therefore, must back up your statements with solid legitimate evidence. Because, most readers are not fools to swallow everything blindly. Bold headlines alone cannot deceive people.
Cheers!

Very well written blog article with a deep rooted analytical view point, I completely agree with. Hathurusinghe never lived up to the expectations of a coach paid lavishly with world’s 3rd highest salary.

Compared to him Trevor in En & Ravi in India lifted their National sides from scratch to the top, showing massive improvement in win/loss ratios starting from their first 12 months, itself. Hathurusinghe certainly had personal favorites like Chandimal & Kusal Mendis , granting them unfair advantageous over others. Also, he seemed to have some sort of complex mentality or jealousy over a few senior players like Angelo Mathews & Upul Tharanga, way beyond him as players (Hathurusinghe was one of the worst ODI openers SL ever had – playing 30+ odis @ 20 Av – 50 SR during his time & could have only dreamed to become closer to the above players). That could be the reason for absurd axing of Tharanga despite being the top performer over past 3 yrs in the side (& may be Mathews as well).