'We are sick and tired of talking about transition' – Pothas

It has now been more than two years since Sri Lanka’s last high-profile retirement, and the team is “sick and tired” of talking about transition. These sentiments have been put forth by several players and coaches over the past year, most recently by Dinesh Chandimal in April. Now, interim coach Nic Pothas – who has often struck an optimistic tone on Sri Lanka’s recent travails – has joined the chorus.

Sri Lanka are tired of languishing in their larval stage, he said. The team is desperate for the series against Pakistan to feature resurgence and regeneration.

“We are probably in an era where we are sick and tired of talking about transition,” Pothas said, three days out from the first Test. “Sick and tired of about talking about it as a ‘learning period’. It is time to go out and perform, and that is the challenge. You are going to meet a world-class team. We have to move forward.”

Part of Sri Lanka’s failure to progress since the retirement of its batting stars has been down to individual inconsistency. Kaushal Silva, for example, replaced Tillakaratne Dilshan in the XI, but although he had initially impressed – not least on Sri Lanka’s 2013-14 trip to the UAE – he had since been dropped twice from the squad.

Kaushal has been recalled again, but Pothas suggested he must compete for a top-order spot with the uncapped 22-year-old Sadeera Samarawickrama. Though generally a middle-order batsman and wicketkeeper in the longest format, Samarawickrama has been picked as a top-order player, Pothas revealed. In limited-overs cricket, Samarawickrama has generally opened for his domestic sides.

“Sadeera’s a top-order batsman and we are very fortunate that we can use him in that regard. The selectors have said that we can use the players in the position they have been picked for, and he has been picked to cover the top three.”

With Angelo Mathews unavailable for the first Test, Roshen Silva is the other uncapped batsman in contention for a place in the XI. Perhaps the most consistent domestic batsman over the past six years, Roshen averages 48.19 in first-class cricket. He had made 614 runs at an average of 55.81 in the most recent Premier League Tournament.

“Roshen has come into the side at the back of runs in the domestic competition,” Pothas said. “We are making a mark to indicate that if you score runs in the domestic circuit, you will get a chance to play for the national team. His record [in domestic cricket] is second only to Kumar Sangakkara, and he is at great form at the moment.”

The first Test begins in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.