‘It’s in those little things’, says Jayasuriya after series loss to South Africa put a dent in their WTC finals chances.
‘It’s in those little things’ is what Sri Lanka head coach believes where his side lost the test and with it the series.
Sri Lanka came to South Africa hoping to qualify for the World Test Championship final, but after losing 2-0, that hope has most likely dimmed. The fact that Sri Lanka was unable to effectively challenge the hosts, as they had done in 2019, despite having the opportunity to play at the two locations that would have been most suitable for them—Durban and Gqeberha—is especially regrettable.
In his analysis of the loss, head coach Sanath Jayasuriya attributed it mostly to the batters’ inability to continue from starts to higher scores. In the first innings at Gqeberha, this was particularly noticeable as just one player reached 50, while the other five reached at least 20.
“Batsmen have to convert their scores into hundreds – 30s and 40s aren’t enough,” Jayasuriya said. “It’s tough on these wickets, but at least two batters have to score hundreds on a tour like this. We didn’t get that. All we got were two 80s. I think the batters by now know the value of hundreds on the road, having played in a place like England recently as well. We missed that this time.
“Although there was a lot of effort from the senior batters, I think if they assess themselves individually, they will realise it wasn’t enough.”
Additionally, this was the first Test series in which Kamindu Mendis did not produce a significant score. His average fell from a Bradmanesque 91.27 prior to the series to 74 at its conclusion, with scores of 13, 10, 48, and 35.
“Kamindu Mendis is a key player,” Jayasuriya said. “In every Test match almost he was in the runs, aside from this series. If you saw the way he batted in this series, it was still with a lot of confidence. In his last innings especially, you saw that. You can’t expect a batter to hit 50 or 100 every innings – that’s why you have six or seven batters. As a player, he’s a quality player. If he’s got shortcomings, he works with the batting coach to figure those out.
“I know that oppositions are quite concerned, and South Africa were as well. Now, he will have to work hard to counter that. But I love watching a player like him in the team – he scores at a run-a-ball, and plays positively. What I’ve told everyone is to play their natural game and play positive cricket.”