Chandimal’s innings a ‘mark of a great Test batsman’
abu dhabi — Think-tanks in both Pakistan and Sri Lanka have a clear plan of action if wickets are hard to get by — contain runs, simple.
It was, however, difficult to get wickets or contain runs at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium pitch. And at the end of the day, teams were all praise for Dinesh Chandimal’s workman-like innings, Niroshan Dickwella’s blitz and Pakistani bowlers’ discipline. After a tiring day on the field, both teams seemed to have nothing but appreciation for each other’s play.
Sri Lankan coach Nic Pothas lauded everyone’s performance, especially after posting 400-plus.
“It’s pleasing to see the team bat 155 overs and for that length of time. It’s no secret that the wicket is pretty slow. The outfield is slow. You can add between 60-80 runs in that total. It was very pleasing to see the fight and the character shown, and the willingness to grind out a score. This is a Test match cricket, and things don’t happen at pace. I think the credit has to go to the Pakistani bowlers as they were very disciplined and fielded very well,” the interim coach said during the press conference in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
Hailing team captain Chandimal’s innings, Pothas said: “Chandi is a great leader. He expects very high standards from his team. He sets great example whether it’s his fielding, fitness, preparation and sets a great example. I’m really happy for him and we have worked on a few things with his batting and he’s very happy those things have come good. That’s a great Test match innings.”
He noted that Chandimal is a free-flowing batsman but the “mark of a great Test batsman is the ability to adjust to conditions and to the game.” He noted that Dickwella is someone who can take the game away from opposition.
“He’s an attacking batter but he curbed his game to adapt to the conditions. It shows that he’s maturing and learning.”
Dickwella scored his 83 from 117 balls with nine boundaries and a six. And the man of the moment, Chandimal, himself said the innings was a test of temperament for him.
“It was hot out there. Not the easiest wicket to bat on. But you get used to the conditions when you spend some time in the middle. I just wanted to get a decent start and then take on from there and I am glad that everything fell in place.”
Meanwhile, Mohammad Abbas, who ended with figures of three wickets for 75 runs, said he had plans for Chandimal.
“He is a senior player and has played a lot of cricket. I had a plan to get him, but unfortunately, it was a no-ball. Obviously bowling to a good player is a difficult task. He played very well and was good with his shot selection. This helped him play a long innings,” the Pakistan pacer said about Chandimal’s nine-hour innings.
Abbas said the team plan was to go for early wickets and if not then contain runs. He pointed out the pitch got “dead grass”.
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com