SL batting coach urges Kusal Mendis to get big scores as he has failed to convert good starts into significant contributions.
SL batting coach Thilina Kandamby believes ‘Kusal needs to convert starts into hundreds’.
Kusal Mendis has started to take shape. He scored 84 off 87 balls in the second Test match against Bangladesh. He hit 45 in 43 deliveries in the first ODI, and he may have had the evening’s best innings in the second, hitting the quickest fifty off 20 balls at Khettarama.
Sri Lanka’s batting coach Thilina Kandamby wants Kusal to strike the big, game-winning notes now that it appears he has his game in full swing. On the eve of the third ODI against Bangladesh in Pallekele, Kandamby stated that those strong double-figure scores needed to be converted to triple-figure ones.
“He gave us a cracking start in the first game and is an experienced player, and he has played lot of cricket,” Kandamby said. “He has to understand that now, and he needs to convert those starts into hundreds. If he scores a hundred, we win 90 to 95% of our games. He knows that too.
“When you are in such good form, it’s a crime to throw away your wicket. He could have easily gone on to score 150 to 200 runs in the first match. We chatted about how to rotate the strike and other crucial aspects of batting.”
It appears that Sri Lanka is anticipating a flatter track at Pallekele, which could fit Kandamby’s goals for Kusal in the series finale. Charith Asalanka, the captain of Sri Lanka, had similarly anticipated that the tracks in Khettarama would be flatter than they actually were.
“Pallekele looks good for batting,” Kandamby said. “I think there will be good bounce as well. If you analyse the last few games at Pallekele, we had batting friendly tracks, and there’s been a lot of runs scored here in the past year. I hope that continues.”