Michael Vaughan: Chandimal has the assets to go all the way

Sri Lanka Cricket / Michael Vaughan / 05 July 2011 /

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"Chandimal is still only 21 and has played just six ODIs but he’s already got two centuries to his name in this format and looks to have a bright future ahead of him."

Michael Vaughan liked what he saw of Dinesh Chandimal on Sunday and tells us why he has the assets to go a long way in the game.

Not many people in England will have known too much about Dinesh Chandimal prior to Sunday's match at Lord's, but they certainly do now. Chasing a decent score at just about the most famous ground in the world, the young Sri Lankan batsman went about his business with a calm head and scored a superb match-winning century.

He was peppered with some short deliveries, mostly by Stuart Broad (who perhaps overdid it a tad), but he weathered that storm and scored quickly against most of the other England bowlers. He has a good technique, looks solid in defence and can play both orthodox cricket shots as well as improvised strokes that may look a little odd, but are highly effective. He hit a couple of big sixes and found the boundary rope with regularity in those crucial middle overs to assist his team in maintaining a healthy run rate throughout the chase.

Chandimal is still only 21 and has played just six ODIs but he's already got two centuries to his name in this format and looks to have a bright future ahead of him. At a time when a couple of the old heads have been left out or retired, whilst Upal Tharanga is out of the team for very different reasons, Sri Lanka really need a couple of these young guns to come into the side and perform. And perform he did on Sunday.

It's fascinating how the Asian sides seem to keep producing these talented youngsters who look right at home in international cricket as soon as they break into the side. India's Virat Kohli took the step up to senior cricket with great ease after shining for their Under-19 side and Cheteshwar Pujara played a match-winning knock for India against Australia a few months ago in a tough run chase in what was only his first or second Test.

I love the way these guys come in and aren't intimidated by the occasion or the opposition. They just play to their strengths, score in their favourite areas and treat it as any other match. That's a sign of true confidence in their ability and something up-and-coming England batsman can certainly learn from.

Chandimal is [6.6] to top-score again for Sri Lanka against England at Trent Bridge on Wednesday.

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