National Coach
| Dav Whatmore National Coach |
Having returned to Colombo, somewhat prematurely, there is a real feeling of disappointment in the side. We went to Nairobi confident that we could make a real impression on the tournament. Alas, it wasn’t to be, and we were knocked out by Pakistan. Nevertheless, lessons have been learned for the future.
We had a terrific start in the first game against the West Indies. The key to the 108 run victory was without doubt the wonderful century by Avishka Gunawardene. Whilst some of the commentators felt he was lucky, and I don’t deny that he was dropped a couple of times, the fact was that his luck didn’t kick in until he had made 71.
Despite coming to the wicket with the side in a precarious position having lost two early wickets, both Mahela Jayawardene and Avishka played very positively, hitting the ball crisply and cleanly into the gaps. Anything loose from the West Indian bowlers, and there was some short and wide stuff, was put away with ease.
For the West Indies to have any chance of victory, we knew that they had to throw the bat in the first fifteen overs, when the fielding restrictions applied. The way they started did cause some concern, but as soon as the wicket fell there was pressure, and thereafter we controlled the match.
The bowling of Nuwan Zoysa deserves a special mention. He bowled well to pick up three wickets. His dismissal of Brian Lara, who was caught behind off a great ball that seamed away from him, was the key, and really put the final nail in the coffin.
We fielded and caught well and all in all it was a great start to the tournament. The confidence was high and we looked forward to our second game of the tournament against Pakistan. We thought that it would be our toughest match but it was a game in which we felt that if we could win, then we could go all the way.
With the wicket being used for the second day in succession, and being aware that Pakistan don’t like chasing too much, we decided to bat first if we won the toss. We won and batted, but lost four wickets in the first 15 overs. When you do that, you are in real trouble.
Having lost Aviskka and Marvan to excellent deliveries we still felt confident, still having quality batsmen still to come. However the close run out of Malela was the wicket that killed us. A couple of the batsmen may not have played percentage shots but Pakistan bowled very well on the wicket and when they get early wickets it is very difficult to post a decent score.
We lost wickets at regular intervals and could only muster 194. On a good wicket with a fast outfield we were never likely to trouble Pakistan. In the end a fine century from Saaed Anwaar ensured us an inglorious exit.
Experience is always good to have in the team. We have always said that some of the guys in the side are still gaining experience. Greater experience may have made some difference, but whether it would have changed the result, I am not sure. The basis of this team though is going to be around for a while and they are going to become a very good side.
We are still smarting from the defeat, which has been a bitter pill to swallow. We are perhaps taking it harder than some teams, because we really felt that we could make an impact. I hope that loss will spur us on to things that are bigger and better. It was wake up call to us: we have to show much greater application when executing our game plan.
If the players are prepared to heed the lessons learnt Nairobi, and apply themselves to a greater degree in Sharjah, then at least that loss won’t have been wasted.
© CricInfo
| Teams | Sri Lanka. |
| Players/Umpires | Nuwan Zoysa, Mahela Jayawardene. |
| Tournaments | ICC KnockOut |
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