It is clear that Pathum Nissanka is a cut above the rest of the Sri Lankan batters when it comes to talent.
SL's slide
Sri Lanka have been struggling to rebuild their team since the likes of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene retired.
It is surprising to think that they became the world Champions after beating India in the 2014 T20 World Cup less than a decade ago but have now been reduced to a mediocre team.
So much so that they had to play the qualifying event ahead of the 2021 T20 World Cup to qualify for the main event which is quite unbecoming of a strong cricketing nation such as Sri Lanka.
New kids on the block
However, they have now decided to back young players and have come up with some gems like Pathum Nissanka, CharithAsalanka, Chamika Karunaratne and Bhanuka Rajapaksa who are likely to serve the team over a long time.
Pathum Nissanka had a good time in the 2021 T20 world cup and made 221 runs, including his best of 72.
The coach likes it
Nissanka also sealed the Number 3 spot for himself. This is what head coach Mickey Arthur had to say about the batter's performance.
"I've watched every cricketer now in Sri Lanka, but I don't see batting talent like Pathum Nissanka and CharithAsalanka," Arthur said after the T20 WC match against Bangladesh. "As a coaching staff and a selection panel, we've got to keep giving opportunities to young players, because in the next couple of years they're going to be the leaders in the batting department. I've always said since the first time I saw Pathum that he's a wonderful talent. His balance, his feet movement, when he attacks and defends are great. He's got it all."
"We saw that on his Test debut. He's played every form now over the last sort of nine months for us. He's going to play every form, because I think him and Charith are 'generation next' for Sri Lanka in terms of batting. To see his journey to where he is now is a credit to himself. The way he's gone about his work, the professionalism that he's shown, and his preparation for every game has been fantastic. To see a young player like him get better and better has been very rewarding for us."
