'Thisara Perera should be performing not under
performing' :
Batsmen not making big scores huge disappointment - 'A' team coach
by SA'ADI THAWFEEQ
The failure of the batsmen to make big scores on ideal batting tracks
was one of the major disappointments during Sri Lanka A's recent cricket
tour of England.
Head coach Avishka Gunawardene lamented that although England Lions
amassed massive totals against them in the one-day tri-series which also
featured Pakistan A, none of the Sri Lanka A batters made use of the
conditions to make a big score.

Head coach Avishka Gunawardene |
"The biggest disappointment for me was not England Lions scoring 300
or 400 against us but that none of our batsmen used the conditions to
get a big hundred," said Gunawardene. "I thought that was the ideal
opportunity for the batsmen. You don't get better tracks than that even
in Sri Lanka. The ball came nicely onto the bat and there wasn't much
movement but our batsmen didn't make use of that opportunity.
"They will get a 30, 40 or a 50 and throw it away. It's all to do
with their mind set nothing wrong with their talent. Even the Pakistan A
coach said that we had so much of talent but something was not right
which I also agree.
The batsmen will have to start learning how to play long innings in
domestic cricket," he said.
"They should know how to build an innings, how to pace out an
innings, these are little things that our batsmen need to learn and
develop and all of them comes from playing domestic cricket."
Gunawardene described the England Lions squad as one of the strongest
batting line-ups that he had seen.
"That side is as good as their senior national team. The wickets were
very flat but the difference was their batters in every game made it big
with each one of them getting big scores against us and Pakistan A,"
said Gunawardene.
The highest individual score for Sri Lanka A in the series was Angelo
Perera's innings of 69 whereas for England Lions five batsmen made over
150 apiece and two Pakistan A batsmen made hundreds.Sri Lanka A lost all
their four matches two each against England Lions (who
were unbeaten) and Pakistan A. "Roshen Silva looked the one guy who
was ready to score the big one, very willing to spend a longer time in
the middle. He looked very good and he
had the knack for batting longer hours and making big scores but he
got a call to return to Sri Lanka," said Gunawardene. "Mahela Udawatte
although he didn't score a lot of runs looked good but did not come of
well, Niroshan Dickwella got starts but didn't convert theminto big
ones. The most impressive of them was Dhananjaya de Silva, the moment he
joined the squad I thought he was really good. (Lakshan) Sandakan looked
like one of those spinners who could turn the ball he has first-class
experience and he needs to get to next level and play," he said.

Roshen Silva one batsman who was ready to score the big
runs, willing to spend long hours in the middle. |
Gunawardene said that he was very impressed with the two fast bowlers
Vishwa Fernando and Asitha Fernando. "They were very impressive in all
the matches, they got the ball to move
and the batsmen struggled against them. They showed a bit of pace.
Vishwa has played more cricket than Asitha. Vishwa was kind of sidelined
he made a couple of A tours but he was going for runs, he was not the
bowler you see at practices. I think it's the confident factor he was
quite quick and hetouched 140," said Gunawardene.
"Asitha has a long way to go. He has played only two first-class
games and he is just 19 and bowls at 135 plus. I saw him in the under 19
squad but he has to play more first-class matches and get the
experience. The best thing about him is that whatever we say he has the
capacity to grab which I think is a good sign. Avishka moves the ball
which is lacking in a lot of our fast bowlers today.
That was one thing we were looking at, either you have to be really
quick or you have to be able to move the ball, otherwise it is very
difficult to survive on flat tracks because you get hit. That's what
happened to us exactly when it came to the tri-series," he said. Sri
Lanka A were handicapped when it came to the Tri-series when five of
their players had to return home when they were selected in the first
Test squad against Australia at Pallekele - Roshen Silva, Dhananjaya de
Silva, Lakshan Sandakan, Vishwa Fernando and Asitha Fernando."That was
the positive side of the tour that five were picked to the Test squad,"
said
Gunawardene."I went to England with two spin bowling all-rounders for
the three 4-day
matches and when it came to the one-day tri-series the only spinner
in my team was Sandakan who was picked for the Sri Lankan Test side for
good reasons," said Gunawardene.
"I was left with only Sachith Pathirana and Ramith Rambukwella who
are spin bowling all-rounders.
I didn't have a specialist spinner in my line-up and I was left with
only three fast bowlers and the squad had only 13 guys because several
had been called to the national team and others to the under 19 team
that was to tour England."
The other big disappointment Gunawardene said was Thisara Perera.
"You have to get more out of someone who has played over 100 ODIs he
should have done something at least stop batsmen from scoring whereas he
went for 60 and 100 runs. If you take his track record there is nothing
exceptional that he has done. I don't think he was playing with the same
intensity when he was playing for the senior side," said Gunawardene.
"On this tour he played because he was asked to. Thisara is only 27
but for someone like him to be considered for the national side he has
to perform exceptionally well. He can't be performing at the same level
as the under 19 and the rest of the guys.
He is so experienced he has to come up with exceptional performances.
You can't be just underperforming," he said.
There remains a question mark on some of the batsmen picked for the
tour as they have hardly scored a first-class hundred in domestic
cricket for as long as two to three years, but somehow find themselves
selected in the Sri Lanka A team time and again.
The selection policy for A team needs to be strictly reviewed as it
is a waste of time picking players who are not going to make it to the
next grade. |