5 players that Sri Lanka have not been able to replace

The Sri Lankan team is still reeling from the loss of stalwarts like Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara

Sri Lankan Cricket has been passing through a testing phase for quite some time now. After the retirement of their marquee players, the Islanders have not been able to perform consistently and have experienced a major slump in form, especially in the shorter formats.

Their performances on the South African tour and in the home series against Bangladesh have not been up to the mark. They even crashed out of the recently concluded ICC Champions Trophy in the group stage.

And now after the recent home series loss against Zimbabwe, Lankan cricket has been put into dire straits. Even after fielding a full strength squad, Sri Lanka could not stop the spirited Zimbabweans from upsetting them. Eventually, their captain Angelo Mathews has stepped down as the captain of the team and new captains have been appointed.

Even though the Sri Lankan Cricket board has been putting in a lot of efforts to groom the youngsters, they simply have not been able to fill the boots of some of their best cricketers. The retirements of these players have left huge voids in the team and the Lankans are finding it very hard to find their replacements.

Let’s take a look at the five cricketers whom the Sri Lankans have not been able to replace thus far.

#5 Chaminda Vaas

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 22: Chaminda Vaas of Sri Lanka bowls during the Commonwealth Series One Day International match between Australia and Sri Lanka at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on February 22, 2008 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Lucas Dawson/Getty Images) — Chaminda Vaas spearheaded the Lankan pace attack for more than a decade

Chaminda Vaas is widely described as the most penetrative and successful new-ball bowler that Sri Lanka has ever produced. Vaas served the Lankan cricket for about 15 years and set many national and international records including the merit of being the only bowler to take an eight-wicket haul in a game in ODIs.

The left arm pacer troubled even the likes of Ricky Ponting, Stephen Fleming and Sachin Tendulkar with his accurate line and length. His career was largely injury free which is a remarkable feat to achieve for a fast bowler whose career spanned for about one and a half decades.

Vaas retired from international cricket in 2009 and since then, Sri Lanka has not found an effective new-ball bowler who could trouble the batsmen with swing, accuracy and pace. Many youngsters such as Chanaka Welegedera, Thilan Thushara, Isuru Udana and Suranga Lakmal have tried to lead the Lankan pace attack but unfortunately, their careers have been plagued either by injuries or inconsistency.