The silent pace revolution in Sri Lanka

While Sri Lanka is renowned as a breeding ground for spinners, a quiet fast-bowling revolution is underway on the island. Daily, 40-50 pace bowlers from across Sri Lanka train at Colombo's Khettarama Stadium under coach AD Anusha Samaranayake. He has mentored bowlers from Lasith Malinga to Matheesha Pathirana, with the full spectrum of fast-bowling skills—sling, swing, pace, bounce, yorkers—on display.

"Anusha is the father of Sri Lanka's fast bowling," says Zubin Bharucha, a respected coach in India. "Few can match his knowledge of biometrics, physics, technique, and the neuroscience of fast bowling."

Anusha, a former first-class fast bowler, has worked with nearly all of Sri Lanka's pacers since the start of the century through the Sri Lanka Cricket academy. His influence spans from Nuwan Zoysa and Farveez Maharoof to current bowlers like Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka, and Nuwan Thushara. The notable slingers Lasith Malinga and Matheesha Pathirana also developed under his guidance at the academy.

The academy was co-founded by Anusha, Rumesh Ratnayake, and Champaka Ramanayake. While the latter two moved on, Anusha continued and now serves as Sri Lanka's national fast-bowling coach. He has also worked with India's Prasidh Krishna and Samit Dravid.

"I am really surprised by the fast-bowling talent in Sri Lanka," said former India bowling coach Bharat Arun, who observed 70-80 pacers with national team potential during a 2025 stint. "The problem in Sri Lanka is that they tend to address the symptoms rather than the root cause. If they get the system right, there will be many pacers like Malinga and Pathirana."

Anusha, a perfectionist, addresses key questions about Sri Lankan fast bowling: the prevalence of slingers, the emphasis on unorthodoxy, the historical primacy of spin, and the recent emergence of pacers.

Why slingers and unorthodoxy?
Cricket in Sri Lanka is often played with tennis balls and softer balls, where sling or sidearm actions are more effective than conventional high-arm techniques. A lower release point also makes it harder for batters to find the sweet spot. Additionally, a lack of high-performance labs and structured systems leads coaches to encourage natural, raw talent rather than enforce conformity.

Why has spin traditionally dominated?
Sri Lankan pitches deteriorate by about 15%, favoring spinners, compared to roughly 7% in SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia), which aids pace bowlers.

The coastal advantage
Many Sri Lankan pacers come from coastal areas, where growing up swimming and running on beaches builds inherent strength beneficial for fast bowling.

Anusha's fast-bowler categories
Anusha often discusses three types of fast bowlers:

1. Express pace (≈145 kmph): Like Brett Lee and Shoaib Akhtar. They unsettle batters with sheer speed but may lack controlled swing or seam.
2. Medium-fast (125-135 kmph): Such as Chaminda Vaas and Irfan Pathan. They combine pace, swing, seam, and control.
3. Fast-medium (135-145 kmph): Like James Anderson and Wasim Akram. They excel at swing and seam but may not consistently unsettle batters with pace.

India's Jasprit Bumrah fits the second category, blending pace with skill, which may explain his success. Due to contractual obligations with Sri Lanka Cricket, Anusha does not comment on specific bowlers like Bumrah without permission.