Lanka sans Murali and Malinga - not favourites for ODI series

By Ed Hawkins
Toothless? Not quite. Vulnerable? Most certainly. That is the situation regarding Sri Lanka’s bowling attack for their three-match one-day series against West Indies, which starts in Port of Spain on Thursday.

For the World Cup finalists will be without two of their star men - Muttiah Muralitharan and speedster Lasith Malinga, two vital cogs which helped turn them into the only side that looked capable of usurping Australia as global champions in the Caribbean event a year ago.

Murali, who is 36 this month, has been left out of the squad because the selectors want to keep him fresh for the 2011 tournament while Malinga, whose slingshot action and spearing yorkers have made him one of the trickiest operators at the death of an innings, is out with a knee injury.

Their absence makes backing Sri Lanka a considerably more risky punt than if they were available. Murali is the ninth best one-day bowler in the world according to the official ICC rankings while Malinga, at 18th, comfortably makes the best 20 on the planet.

Throw into the mix the fact that Farveez Maharoof, who is the 11th in the rankings and one of the most underrated bowlers in the world, is also missing because of a side strain picked during the Commonwealth Bank Series, and the Sri Lanka bowling looks very weak indeed.

Fortunately Chaminda Vaas, that wily veteran and ranked No 4 is fit, firing and swinging the ball as much as ever if his latest effort in the second Test between the sides is anything to go by.

But it is Murali’s absence which could really hurt Sri Lanka and will have the biggest bearing on the markets.

They miss the great man terribly when he is not playing. In 94 completed matches without their star man they have managed only 38 victories and suffered 56 defeats.

Indeed, since the extraordinary bowler began his career in 1993, Sri Lanka have won only three series from nine (not including two wins over Zimbabwe and one against Bangladesh) in which Murali has missed two matches or more.

The sight of Murali in a one-day shirt could soon be a rare one, especially with Sri Lanka’s powers-that-be declaring that he will be used only for “important tournaments”. The problem with that ruling is that all the tournaments could start to get important if that losing trend continues.

Unsurprisingly Malinga is not as sorely missed as Murali and has only really been a regular in the one-day team since 2006; it is difficult to put too much store in the stats. But they are worth scrutinising nonetheless.

Of the last 21 matches with Malinga on the sidelines, Sri Lanka has won only six. The study period is not as long as that of Murali’s but it’s an alarming stat that must be of concern to skipper Mahela Jayawardene. By the way, there are only two recent examples of Sri Lanka playing without M&M and they have lost both.

If being without their spearheads is not enough, Sri Lanka is also minus Sanath Jayasuriya, who has been jettisoned after a glittering career.

Jayasuriya was absolutely crucial for Sri Lanka getting their innings off to a flying start and it was noticeable that when he did fail with the bat, his team-mates often struggled to put bat to ball.

As doors close, however, others open and two exciting youngsters will get their chance to cement their places in the side as the old stagers watch from afar.

Mahela Udawatte, 21, a hard-hitting opener in Jayasuriya’s mould, has been picked and is being spoken of as his long-term successor. Udawatte, 21, plays for Chilaw while the uncapped Ajantha Mendis is the big new spin hope. The 23-year-old off spinner has 54 wickets at an average of ten in Sri Lanka’s Premier League season.

If you get the feeling that Sri Lanka is viewing this West Indies series as one for rebuilding, then you are probably right. And if you get the feeling that you don’t want to be risking your money on an experimental team, you are probably right on that score, too.