Dav Whatmore - 14 March 2001
| Dav Whatmore National Coach |
To lose the Second Test Match in Kandy was obviously disappointing, particularly so because we had an excellent chance of winning the match, but we go into the final deciding Test Match in Colombo with our heads held high. I felt that the team displayed great fighting spirit during that tension strewn five days and each player gave 100 per cent.
The controversy apart - I do feel that the Sri Lankan team was desperately unfortunate in Kandy - we failed to win that match because we didn't score enough runs. Simple as that. In the first innings we built a commanding position after the loss of four early wickets only to fall shy of a par score, which was probably 350 plus.
Despite conceding a 90 run lead we were nevertheless in a good position to press forward and set a useful final innings target. We should have scored something in the region of 300 runs. That didn't happen because we lost six wickets in the last session of the third day. That heady hour of pretty awful batting was the critical moment. Darren Gough bowled well, but we should have batted better.
We can sit back and feel sorry for ourselves for shouldering the lion's share of the bad luck, but in the cold light of reality, we realise that the destiny was in our hands. We didn't just lose that match because things didn 't go our way. We lost because we didn't shape our own destiny. If we had batted like we should, the controversy would have been irrelevant. As a team we need to all agree with that before the Final Test Match.
The fight thereafter was really good and that was heartening to see. We lost the match, but we finished up on a very positive note. Sangakkara batted beautifully, showing what a tough customer he is, and Kumar Dharmasena and Chaminda Vaas gave him excellent support. The bowlers tried their utmost and on another day we could have won.
You have to bear in mind that this is still a young side and compared to England, who fielded the most experienced side in the history of English cricket in Kandy, we are inexperienced. The dismissal of Kumar Sangakkara is a case in point. His dismissal in the second innings, when he just threw it away, was just pure inexperience. When he becomes a little battle hardened that one won't happen again. Russel Arnold too betrayed a lack of experience to get dismissed to the second delivery with the new ball. These are painful lessons, but you have to learn from it.
One other important feature so far in the series is the way that England are playing Muralitharan. They are playing to a plan, trying to wear him down by occupying the crease, and are making him work very hard for his wickets, primarily by padding him away. I don't think, however, he has been rewarded at certain times and he should have had more wickets in this series. I can understand not giving leg-before decisions on the front foot when he is bowling over the wicket, but what about when the batsmen play back, or when he comes around the wicket and straightens the ball?
Whilst most of the English batsmen prefer to defend Murali, Hussain in the first innings and Thorpe in both played positively and did well. But, Murali is a world-class performer and they can't keep that up all the time. Both players had their luck. There is no doubt that if they attack him they are a taking a risk.
Whilst I have been surprised that Murali hasn't taken more wickets, I am more surprised by suggestions that there is ill feeling between the two sides. I can honestly say that in all the dressing room banter that goes on, there has not been one derogatory word against England's players. There is a healthy respect and strong desire to beat them, but no bad feeling.
Nor do I think that there has been more sledging than a normal international series. The Sri Lanka side have played it tough and I expect them to play it that way. I do not believe that they have overstepped the line. The bat pad catchers have been brave and very aggressive. As for Sangakkara behind the stumps, I endorse all his actions. There are occasions when you go up aggressively for an appeal as a reaction, but a second later you realise that you were wrong. That though is a reaction not an orchestrated attempt to cheat.
I just hope that all this controversy comes to an end and that the cricket takes the centre stage in Colombo. It will be titanic struggle and both sides will feel that they can win it. It will not be easy for us as England are sure to make us work. The key will be whether we can blunt their fast bowlers with the new ball. If we can then I believe we will win.
© CricInfo
| Teams | Sri Lanka. |
| Players/Umpires | Muttiah Muralitharan, Kumar Sangakkara, Darren Gough, Nasser Hussain, Chaminda Vaas, Russel Arnold, Kumar Dharmasena. |
| Tours | England in Sri Lanka |
| Internal Links | Previous Column. |
