Sri Lanka head coach Sanath Jayasuriya airing his views on his team’s dismal showing in the Super Four phase of the concluded Asia Cup T20 tournament in the UAE, was frank in accepting the blame as they landed home after failing to book their spot in the grand finale on Sunday (28).
“The buck stops with the team management,” Jayasuriya, 56, the former skipper told reporters upon the team’s arrival at the BIA on Saturday (27).
“We have to accept the fact that we struggled for consistency when it came to the Super Fours. That is the cold truth. But, I firmly believe that if we could become consistent as we were in the initial round of this Asia Cup, we could become a handful for other countries going forward.”
Jayasuriya saw losing the first Super Fours match against Bangladesh as being detrimental to their chances for a place in the final, but was quick to stress that he was not ready to trot out excuses for the defeat.
“Losing that game to Bangladesh set us back and from then on we struggled. But, to the credit of the players they made a good fist of it against India, though it was an inconsequential match by that time, as we were already out of it. But, I feel we must identify our mistakes and then rectify them promptly as the T20 World Cup is fast approaching.”
The head coach was of the opinion that there was sufficient talent and depth when it comes to batting and bowling departments, but insisted that the key was how best to execute their plans, based on the opposition and conditions on a given day.
Asked whether there was any psychological barrier for his men for failing to chase down targets set by India – the eventual champions, Jayasuriya rejected such suggestions.
Sri Lanka chasing India’s 202 for 5 wickets in their Super Fours clash in the Asia Cup, tied the score also losing only five wickets, only for the match to go into a Super Over which was then clinched by India.
Previously during a three-match bilateral T20I series played between Sri Lanka and India in Sri Lanka last year, in the final match at Pallekele, the hosts had required nine runs in two overs to pull through.
However, on that occasion Charith Asalanka’s team had only managed to tie the scores resulting in a Super Over win for the tourists.
The coach argued that there was no such mental block for his men when competing particularly against India or any other team, but noted that they need to look at ways to get across the line, when placed in such situations in the future.
He pointed to positives to be taken from the clash against India, especially the century compiled by in-form opener Pathum Nissanka.
The former dashing opener maintained that it was a no mean feat to chase 200 plus against a ‘quality’ bowling attack of India, and that too after losing the first two Super Fours games to Bangladesh and Pakistan, respectively.
Meanwhile, ex-national skipper Lasith Malinga yesterday (29) advised Sri Lanka’s think tank to avoid the temptation to effect wholesale changes to its T20 set up, in the lead up to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in February-March next year.
He emphasised the importance of sticking to a settled squad. Airing his views on the Podhub Podcast, the 42-year-old former fast bowler, warned that rushing players’ ad-hoc to the set up could backfire, as transitioning from domestic to international cricket takes time.
He remarked that Sri Lanka had repeatedly blundered by seeking quick fixes before major tournaments, leading to disjointed teams taking the field in the recent past.
Instead Malinga – the last Sri Lanka captain to lift a major global trophy – the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2014, called for the team management to persist with the current group, with minor adjustments such as including more wicket-taking bowling options.