Sri Lanka and Group C teams struggle against poor quality pitches

Dinura Kalupahana (Player of the Match v Zimbabwe)

ICC UNDER-19 CRICKET WORLD CUP IN SOUTH AFRICA

Supun Waduge (Player of the Match v Namibia)

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Poor quality pitches and practice facilities in Kimberley have forced Sri Lanka to prepare for their Under-19 World Cup matches more mentally than physically. The pitches at this venue have been so poor that all the teams in the group (Group C) with Sri Lanka – Australia, Zimbabwe and Namibia, have struggled to come to terms with them.

“We haven’t been doing a lot of practice because the wickets are worse than the match wickets,” said Sri Lanka Under-19 coach Jehan Mubarak. “We are doing just a few throw downs and the preparation is all mental. We are prepared to face whatever challenges we have. Sanath (Jayasuriya) is with us and we are talking about keeping the team’s morale high. So far it has worked. Even after getting out for 133 (against Namibia) the spirit of the boys and the morale was very good, we were prepared to defend it.”

Jayasuriya, the former Sri Lanka captain who was recently appointed as full time cricket consultant by Sri Lanka Cricket is with the Under-19 boys playing the role of a mentor.

“In the games we have played at Kimberly all the batters have struggled, not only us,” said Mubarak. “Practice facilities we are playing on are very poor. I am not sure whether it is the same at other venues.”

The first three World Cup games played at this venue has seen teams being dismissed for scores of 56, 89 and 91. Even chasing down a total as small as 91, Australia lost six wickets against Namibia.

“The playing wickets are not very good. Even yesterday (Wednesday) the Match Referee raised a concern. He asked us about the quality of the pitch,” said Mubarak. “The pitches play a bit of a role and we are a little concerned because our Super Six games are also going to be here. There are three more games in Kimberley. How the wickets are going to hold up as we go forward is a concern.”

Sri Lanka put into bat first were dismissed for 133 by Namibia who in their turn were shot out for 56.

“The bounce is inconsistent but having said that in the Namibia game, there was no danger of getting out. It was hard to score runs. We definitely could have applied ourselves better,” said Mubarak. “It’s hard to judge our batting on these wickets but I think we can bat better. We need to apply ourselves more. If we are getting out to good balls then it is okay, but they are not. There are a few balls that are hard to play and unplayable deliveries, but we are not getting out to those but to very ordinary balls.”

Dinura Kalupahana (60) against Zimbabwe and Supun Waduge (56*) against Namibia are the two batsmen who have come to terms with the pitches and top scored for Sri Lanka in their two wins so far that has placed them in the next round - the Super Six.

Mubarak admitted that it has been the bowlers whose performances that enabled Sri Lanka to win their first two matches so far.          

“We have come to the Super Six mainly with the bowling but the batting, once you get in there and get set, then you have to go on for a big one, and you need the others to bat around you,” said Mubarak.

“The two wins have boosted the confidence but the batters need a bit of confidence especially the top order Sineth (Jayawardena) and Pulindu (Perera), they need to score runs. If our top three batters score runs then we have the bowling to defend. The batting has not been consistent enough, Kalupahana got runs in the first game then he was slightly over confident in the second. Same for Rusanda (Gamage) and Ravishan (de Silva). Once you get a good innings under your belt you need to keep that consistency and momentum in the next innings. You have to go through that same process and start the same way. We are expected to bat better whatever the condition of the pitch. No excuses, because it’s the same for both teams.”

Sri Lanka’s final Group C game is on Sunday against Australia at Bloemfontein where the pitch is good for batting judging by the scores made at the venue so far. The top three teams in the group qualify for the Super Six carrying the points they have accumulated with the teams coming with them to the next round.