The predicament of Sri Lankan cricket couldn’t get worse. Over a considerable period of time, there have been financial problems, trouble with the board, and a subsequent fall in the performance of the team since the golden generation hung up their boots.
To add insult to injury, they have timed their low in the worst possible manner in the build-up to the World Cup. Right before the Asia Cup final, it may have seemed like a good thing – reaching an ODI final right ahead of a World Cup. And then the humiliation followed – all-out for 50 in the final.
And this was no aberration. It was backed up by more poor performances, like the seven-wicket loss to Bangladesh and a six-wicket loss to Afghanistan in the warm-ups – teams that Sri Lanka had overcome to reach the Asia Cup final.
To cap it off, another steep margin of loss followed in their World Cup opener against South Africa, where they conceded 428 – the highest World Cup total of all time, and three individual hundreds, one of which happened to be the fastest ever. Sadeera Samarawickrama, in particular, was not impressed with the team’s bowling performance.
“Actually, it’s difficult for us as a team to be happy with the bowling (performance). We rarely bowled consistently as a team,” assessed Samarawickrama. “On a wicket like this, even a minor mistake from us can result in the opposing team scoring six or four runs. If we had bowled with more patience, we might have kept them to a lower score.”
After a deflating bowling performance, Samarawickrama spoke about the talk in the dressing room about chasing down the total and keeping things positive, given that the conditions were extremely well suited to batting. He further opined that if not for the regular wickets, and one big stand, Sri Lanka would have been in with a chance.
“We could trust the wicket and play. If we had good momentum, we needed to maintain it. We actually lost by almost 100 runs.” he said. “If we hadn’t lost those few wickets in the middle overs, I believe we would have had a chance to come close to their score or even win the match.”
Samarawickrama also insisted that there were positives to come out of the match, with batters playing with freedom in a big chase, and emphasised that the return to form for Kusal Mendis and Dasun Shanaka was crucial.
“Actually, we are very happy that Kusal Mendis and especially Dasun Shanaka have returned to their usual rhythm,” said Samarawickrama optimistically. “Also, the way Kusal Mendis and Charith Asalanka gave a lot of confidence to the batting unit of our team was great. When we’re chasing such a big number, we don’t have time to set up in the middle part.
“I think we always have to play positively. I think it’s a significant achievement for us to have been able to play like that in these conditions. I think the turning point was that we lost Kusal Mendis and myself in two overs. I think that was the turning point, I guess.”
Speaking about the turning tracks in Sri Lanka, and the bowlers’ inability to adapt to less conducive conditions, Samarawickrama said that flatter, batting-friendly pitches would help the bowlers gain experience in less forgiving conditions.
“In Sri Lanka, we’ve played a lot on turning wickets, so chasing such a big score isn’t something we typically do. If we get wickets like this in Sri Lanka, the bowlers won’t be surprised when we get to a place like this. So, I think we will see pitches like this in Sri Lanka too.”
Despite the string of poor performances and abject defeats, Samarawickrama remains positive about his team’s chances in the World Cup, choosing to look at the positive side of things.
“We all play to win. There may be off days. We’ve won 14-15 matches in a row. So, if we look at the other side, we’ve won matches too,” Samarawickrama said defensively. “We’ve only lost three in a row now. We’ll get back on a winning note after playing well in the next matches. Our team just needs a little momentum, and I think we can achieve what we want in the next match.”
Sri Lanka’s next match in the World Cup is against Pakistan on Tuesday (October 10) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.