Lanka fret over bowling ahead of do-or-die clash
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka coach Chandika Hathurusingha has urged the bowlers to step up and help the team bounce back ahead of their virtual semi-final clash against Bangladesh at the R Premadasa stadium on Friday.
Both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have two points and the winner will take on India in the final. Speaking in the pre-match press conference, Hathurusingha said the bowling came under pressure after they had secured a victory in the opening game against India.
“The second game (vs Bangladesh) put us under pressure. You don’t lose many games after scoring 214 runs. I don’t think we bowled well, we need to accept that. Then again, all six bowlers or five bowlers don’t go for 10 runs an over,” Hathurusingha said.
Sri Lanka had posted 214/6 in the game against Bangladesh but Mushfiqur Rahim’s brilliant, unbeaten 72 off 35 balls helped Bangladesh secure the fourth-highest successful chase in Twenty20s. Hathurusingha admitted the bowling needed improvement.
“I think in this tournament the bowlers have to step up because the pitches are very good. You can’t blame them either. If you know our bowlers, I think in
T20, we have a very young attack. Some of them have
› I think in T20, we have a very young attack. Some of them have played less than 10 matches, but that’s not an excuse. C HATHURUSINGHA, Lanka coach
played less than 10 matches, but that’s not an excuse. That’s why we want to give them experience,” Hathurusingha said.
In the past year, Sri Lanka has had three captains suspended due to slow over-rate. In the Nidahas Trophy 2018 tournament, Dinesh Chandimal was banned for two games due to a serious slow over-rate offence and Hathurusingha admitted that it was a cause of concern.
“That’s one area that we have identified. It’s not the only thing. We had a lot of discussions. We went through the footage, and found that there were nearly two minutes between one over, and two and a half minutes between another over. Those are the areas that concern. I got to know about our previous incursions after this happened. It’s been a big problem for us,” Hathurusingha said.