• “We have played very good cricket and we have managed to bounce back”

Sri Lanka head coach Chris Silverwood

Head coach Chris Silverwood said that Sri Lanka were not a complete team yet and still has got a lot of lessons to learn after they drew the two-Test series against Pakistan one-all by winning the second cricket Test by 246 runs at the Galle International Cricket Stadium on Thursday.

It was the second time in back to back Test series that Sri Lanka had lost the first Test but come back strongly to level the series one-all. They first did it against Pat Cummins’ Australians and repeated the performance against Babar Azam’s Pakistanis.

“We go with the intention of winning that first Test match but it’s just how it happened. We are developing and we are work in progress. We have to accept that we come up against two very good teams. We have to play very good cricket to beat them. The pleasing thing for me is that we have played very good cricket and we have managed to bounce back. 

“The key to all this without rushing is, our drop in performance in the first game. We are creating opportunities which is good but we need to obviously seize them and make it up in the first game,” said Silverwood at the post-match media conference.

“I am pleased with the performance in this game, there are certain areas for improvement. If we are honest and looking for improvement all the starts in the first innings with the bat. Overall, we put the runs on the board especially in the second innings. 

“To see Dhananjaya (de Silva) do that was absolutely brilliant and actually to come out with a win it proved the decisions we made were right. It’s nice to level the series. The first game it would have been nice to have won but cricket is like that, you have to accept it. There batsmen played exceptionally well.”

Elaborating on the areas that Sri Lanka needs to improve on, Silverwood stated: “Consistency within the bowling attack not from one or two places but from all the bowlers, consistent pressure. I want to see them put some pressure on opposition teams around the world not just on turning tracks here. The seamers will have their opportunities at some point, they could create pressure just like they did in Bangladesh. 

“For me, it’s a constant drive for excellence when it comes to hitting line and length and asking the opposition batsmen good questions. From a batting point of view, the top seven to be more ruthless and see more hundreds from them. In the first innings here they all got starts but no one managed to capitalize and go and make a hundred. That’s two areas, and then the fielding we need to keep on improving.”

One area where Sri Lanka has shown improvement is in their lower order batting that has contributed well in the two series.

“Lower order contributions are crucial from both sides. It’s something that we have worked extremely hard in the nets. We make sure that the bowlers in the lower order get plenty of batting practice. We put emphasis on them to play and think like a batsman and emphasis on creating partnerships when the guys are in. It seems to be working but it doesn’t work all the time.”

The contribution made by left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya to Sri Lanka’s success has been remarkable and it has not gone unnoticed by Silverwood who said: “I didn’t know a great deal about him before he came. A few of the guys had played with him and against him. What I did want in the attack was control and they told me that Prabath would bring the best control and hence he came in. 

“The biggest thing for me is that he has really contributed and shown that he can create pressure on the opposition batsmen. He gets balls in good areas and he’s got a lot of wickets. For me, he is one whom you want when you are out, whom can you turn to when the game is getting away from you. If you put him on you know he can dry the runs up and also create opportunities. From a dynamic point of view he’s been superb for us.”

Sri Lanka’s next Test series is not until March next year when they play two Tests of the World Test Championship in New Zealand.

COVID-19 gave Player of the Series Prabath Jayasuriya the break