“We must be prepared to accept criticism,” Sanath Jayasuriya, the head coach of Sri Lanka, announced on Thursday.
Eventhough the words of Jayasuriya were resolute, his voice was tinged with the weight of recent disappointments as he made both a candid admission and a rallying cry.
In the aftermath of a cleansweep against India in the T20I series at Pallekele, Jayasuriya acknowledged that the fans had every right to be discontent following his team’s recent performances. Yet, he added in an earnest plea – the need for support from them. “I see the players putting in an enormous amount of effort. I appeal to the fans to come to the ground and support the team during the ODIs,” he urged.
The recent series had been a saga of near triumphs turned to dust, with the middle order faltering at crucial junctures, unable to build on the solid foundations laid by the top order. None more disappointing performance than what the hosts showcased in the third T20I. Poised for victory with 28 runs needed off 29 balls and nine wickets in hand, they took the game to the Super Over, only to be handed defeat once again.
“The third game should never have gone to a Super Over,” Jayasuriya acknowledged. “As coaches, you can tell stuff but handling pressure is for those out in the middle. We are aware that part-time bowlers (Rinku Singh and Suryakumar Yadav) had got those crucial wickets. It is disappointing.
“Kusal Perera from the middle had made a gesture to send a right-hander in. His intentions of letting us know that a right-hander was needed is correct. We were prepared for the routine batting line-up. But when the set batter sends a message you need to listen to that. I would have been happier had Kusal Perera finished it off.”
Jayasuriya asserted that the issue is not as much related to skill or commitment as it’s about poor shot selection and the inability to handle the pressure situations. “We have created a system where top order batters could bat for two or three-hours during training,” he said. “Kamindu Mendis batted for more than 600 balls during our training. Kusal Perera batted for over 700 balls and that’s quite a number of overs. I don’t see lack of commitment, but they have got to tackle pressure better. Their cricket awareness also needs sharpening.”
He further added, “If you see, in the last three games, we started well. That’s what you’re looking for – for the top three-four to bat well, which we did. That is a positive sign. Also in the second game, the rain-affected game, we started well and we could have had some more runs on the board. The third game also, it was a very good start for us, and we bowled well. Apart from the first game, we fielded really well, we fielded well… But still there is no excuse for us to say anything, and for us to win is the ultimate thing.
“It’s disappointing as a coach, but we have to take the criticism as well, as a coach, as a support staff, as a team. We are taking the responsibility, you can’t go away from that. As long as they realise that, and make sure that, we’ll have to keep giving them the confidence and support I had to go through this (phase) in my time as a cricketer, every cricketer has to go through this. When criticism comes, you have to take it.”
As Sri Lanka look to reverse their fortunes in a different city and a different format, they have been hit again by injuries. On the eve of the first ODI, the squad saw the inclusion of two uncapped fast bowlers, Mohamed Shiraz and Eshan Malinga, stepping in for the injured Dilshan Madhushanka and Matheesha Pathirana, with the list of injured fast bowlers swelling up to six for the hosts, which already included Nuwan Thushara, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Pradeep and Binaru Fernando.
“It’s a bit unfortunate. Even before this series started, two got injured. Just before the T20s had started, three got injured. Unfortunately, as a coach it’s the worst thing when my key fast bowlers are getting injured. We’ll have to have the replacements. That’s the key. Sri Lanka Cricket’s High Performance Centre has the responsibility to make sure that the replacements are available. It’s tough for some of the players who haven’t been in the international arena, and haven’t played international cricket. It’s good that they will be in the squad around these players and get that experience. So, it’s a bit tough.”
© Cricbuzz
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