DAMBULLA, Thursday: Wicket-keeper/batsman Niroshan Dickwella said that his team didn’t want to give excuses for their defeats but find solutions after Sri Lanka had lost the second ODI by four wickets to South Africa at the Rangiri Dambulla Stadium on Wednesday to trail the five-match series 2-0.
“First of all our batting didn’t do well. We’ve got six batsmen, and when three batsmen don’t score runs it’s really difficult to put a big score on the board,” said Dickwella at the post-match press conference.
“We had an opportunity to win this match, but it slipped from our hands. I think we should make a strong comeback in the Kandy game. When we were batting in the morning it was quite a slow wicket. And at night it was better.
“We don’t give excuses, we find solutions. I think we should do our basics right first. We should put a good total on the board first and then try to defend,” he said.
Sri Lanka winning the toss for the second time and batting first scored 244-8, but a few missed chances allowed South Africa to pass that total for the loss of six wickets in the 43rd over.
“Missed catches are part of the game. It happens all the time in the cricket field. It was a bad first 10 overs for us. As a team we have to stand strong, go through our mistakes, and do it better next time,” said Dickwella.
The defeat was Sri Lanka’s tenth consecutive loss to South Africa in successive ODI matches and their seventh straight defeat at Dambulla.
“There is no main reason. We made mistakes throughout the game. If we want to win a match, we can’t make a lot of mistakes. Maybe you can make two or three mistakes and fix those things within the game itself and win the match. But if you make mistakes through the match, it’s hard to win a game. But if you fix those mistakes we can win the next one,” said Dickwella who scored his first ODI half century since August 2016.
It was a courageous innings of some sort because he was hit a painful blow on his right ribcage off a rising delivery from Willem Mulder but continued to bat to complete his half-century.
“After getting hit I continued playing. After I got out I thought I was ok. Then I went into the field and while I was keeping wickets it was difficult. I couldn’t give my 100% to the team, so I said to the captain that I can’t give 100% and I think I should leave the field,” explained Dickwella. “I went and got an x-ray and it’s fine. No fracture – nothing. There are three more days before the next game – I think I should be able to play.”
The half century was a typical Dickwella knock with plenty of sweep shots.
“I was working with the batting coach Thilan Samaraweera and head coach (Chandika) Hathurusingha. I did some changes in my batting and I was worried about those things. We had one-to-one meetings, and I said I’m going to play like how I used to play, and not think about my technique. I’m going to work my techniques in the nets, but I’m going to play my normal game like I used to play when I started my career. That’s what I did when I went to the middle today. It worked out for me,” said Dickwella.
“If I go to a negative mindset when we lost two wickets and if I think about that, definitely I’m going to get out. I spoke to my partner Kusal Perera and we wanted to build a partnership. Then Angie (Angelo Mathews) came and it really helped me because he is the senior player. He always talks to me. He always advises me how to play and how to take the calculated risk. That helped me.”
Soon after reaching his fifty Dickwella gestured towards the stands and he later explained why:
“My sister’s birthday was yesterday (Wednesday). She called me and she was like: ‘Why aren’t you scoring runs. Better score a half-century for my birthday.’ That’s why she was there today.”
Be the first to comment