Sri Lanka head coach Mickey Arthur has said that the duo of Pathum Nissanka and Charith Asalanka is the future batting stars of Sri Lankan cricket and they will be responsible for the rise of the country on the world stage.
Arthur said that Pathum (Nissanka) was impressive in his technique and mode of operations right from the Test debut against West Indies earlier this year and said that he possesses all facets of the game such as defensive and attacking skills to shine at the big stage.
“From the first time I saw Pathum, I think I've been quoted as saying I think he's a wonderful talent. He's got his balance, his feet movement, when he attacks and defends are great.
“He's got it all. He's a really good player. We saw that on Test debut. He's played every form now over the last sort of nine months for us. And he's going to play every form because I really think him and Charith are generation-next for Sri Lanka in terms of batting.”
On Charith Asalanka's emergence and development, Arthur said that the left-hander has earned a name for himself for which he should be credited. He said that the young man has been on an improvement curve since his introduction to the Sri Lankan team and he will only get better with time.
“To see Charith's development has been incredible,” Arthur said.“I remember Charith arriving in our bubble just before we went to England, and then we had the England trip. And to see Charith's journey from England to where he is now is a credit to himself, the way he's gone about his work, the professionalism he's shown. His preparation in every game has been fantastic. To see a young player like Charith get better and better has been very, very rewarding for us.”
Sri Lanka are on an unbeaten streak in the ongoing edition of the T20 World Cup having come through from the qualifier stage to the Super 12 stage. They have defeated all their opponents in the first stage and later on defeated Bangladesh with a big margin to showcase their firepower.
They are scheduled to take on Australia in what could be described as their first formidable challenge of the tournament tonight.