Head Coach cracks whip on batsmen after heaviest Test defeat

Sri Lanka’s batting was of poor quality and was heavily criticised by Head Coach

• Test cricketers should know how to handle different situations – Jayasuriya
• “We should accept the fact that we didn’t bat well”

Sa’adi Thawfeeq reporting from Galle

Sri Lanka’s Head Coach Sanath Jayasuriya came down hard on his batsmen for putting up a poor performance in both innings of the first Warne-Murali Test to suffer their heaviest defeat in Test cricket by an innings and 242 runs at the Galle International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

The win ensured Australia retain the Warne-Murali Trophy in the two-match series which they cannot lose having gone 1-up.

Despite the frequent interruptions to rain and bad light the match ended on the fourth day by tea with Sri Lanka being dismissed for scores of 165 and 247 in reply to Australia’s mammoth first innings of 654-6 declared.

“We cannot blame the wicket because we saw how it behaved. This was a very good wicket. For a long time, we haven’t seen such a good wicket in Galle on the third and fourth days,” said Jayasuriya.

“We can’t give five wickets in the morning session. If we’re a good batting unit, we cannot be bundled out in a day. We’ll have to accept that we haven’t batted well. It’s a hard fact. If you don’t score 350 or 400 in the first innings, it’s difficult to win a Test match. There’s no point in failing in the first innings and trying to change things in the second innings.”

“There is a serious problem with shot selection as well as handling situations. I don’t think that certain players handled the situation well. They’re experienced and have played enough cricket to be mature enough to handle situations in a more professional manner.”

“The biggest problem is the batters who are getting starts are not converting them into long innings. This is something I have always been insisting. We saw Khawaja, Smith and (Josh) Inglis, all three of them got good starts and they converted them into big hundreds. This conversion must be there. We’re not consistent in that. Our players should know that these are our conditions and we must make use of them. There were lots of opportunities but we didn’t make use of them.”

“We’re playing against the number one team in the world. We know they’re a tough side. But we’re playing here in Sri Lanka. We also know how to play in these conditions. They should know how to play under pressure and to play with confidence. Test Cricket is a unique game. In this game, there are various kinds of situations. Test cricketers should know how to handle different situations.”

“In batting or bowling, there will never be an easy ride in Test Cricket. I have told this so many times and put it into their heads. I’ve explained many situations too. This is a unique game and every run you score has big value. Players also know this. So, it’s up to them to convert those starts to big hundreds. We have supported them mentally and prepared them for such situations.”

Although Sri Lanka play seven specialist batsmen there are occasions when contributions are required from the tail end batters which have not been forthcoming.

“The seven batsmen have to get the runs on the board. Unfortunately, sometimes, we’re depending on the tail but you can’t. However, we are working on it. Today, (Jeffrey) Vandersay was outstanding. It’s after a long time I have seen a tail ender getting a fifty. It’s a very good thing. We’ve been practicing and we’ve been doing everything possible for the tail enders. We need that kind of thing. We have to play our natural game but we can’t lose early wickets in the top order in the first 10 overs. Then it becomes difficult.”

Apart from the batting, Sri Lanka made several mistakes on the field to let Australia off the hook, dropping crucial catches and being poor with their reviews.  

“We should have controlled the first session of the game. We dropped two or three catches and we didn’t review crucial decisions too. I think the fielding was the key issue, dropping a few catches in the first session. It would have been a different story altogether, if we got wickets at those stages,” said Jayasuriya.

“The wicket was on the slower side, but Khawaja and (Steve) Smith adjusted and batted really well. They played off the front foot and back foot and on both sides of the wicket. We were trying very hard but they outplayed us. They played positive cricket and they got runs on the board. That was the key difference. They swept and reverse swept. Before the next match, we must make a plan to stop one of those shots.”

“The wicket was on the slower side and on the first day nothing much was happening. It’s natural. Also, after re-laying this wicket, it takes time to settle. We thought that our pace was the best because that’s what we’ve been doing. After the third and on the fourth day, we saw the normal Galle wicket. What the Australians did was they bowled a little faster than us. We are used to bowling at a certain pace but it didn’t work (in this match.) We need to discuss these things.”