Sri Lanka under 19 team have potential to bounce back, says Manager Ashley

Chris Dhambarage

CRICKET: The Sri Lankan team management feel that they need not panic and their exit from the on going under 19 Tri Nation limited overs tournament was only an eye opener ahead of the under 19 World Cup in Malaysia.

The Sri Lankan team lost twice to arch rivals India and once against Bangladesh as they were knocked out from the final of the tournament which was conducted in line with the International Cricket Council playing conditions.

However the Sri Lankan team manager Ashley de Silva and coach Roger Wijesuriya shared the same views by blaming the current school cricket structure for their disappointing performances in the recent time.

Ashley de silva said that this is of course not the end because the players do have the potential to bounce back in the two three day matches against India which will be worked off in colombo and in Kandy.

He said that the players lost some of the confidence after their shock defeat to Bangladesh and thereafter they were making even the basic errors in batting and bowling. He also pointed out that the Lankans were unfortunate because they were caught on a turning wicket at times and also lost the toss which turned out to be a vital factor considering the unpredictable weather conditions.

De Silva also noted that two of the best players in the batting line up Roshane Silva and Nizam Mazahir were out with injuries. The Sri Lankan batting looked pretty ordinary as a result as they were shot out for a mere 87 runs against India in their final league match at the NCC ground in Maitland Place.

De Silva said that the selection of the players were revolved around the 20 member squad and they decided to experiment with some of the players in an attempt to find the right combination for the under 19 World Cup. He stated that the Indian team is an exceptional one and most of them are really matured having played a lot of club cricket at home.

De Silva said that the Sri Lankan players are certainly talented but they are not exceptional compared to with the opposition teams. He was disappointed that the team could not make use of the home conditions with the present unpredictable weather conditions.

De Silva said that it is now upto the national selectors to pick some more players from outside and experiment with them before forming a pool in preparation for the World Cup. He noted that talent alone will not count in a situation of this nature but they will be also looking whether the players are matured enough and have the mental strength to cope up with the pressure.

De Silva said that there is a huge gap between the present school cricket structure and international cricket which is the main reason for the teams slide in the recent past. In the past there were more than a couple of matured players who really carried the side with the other providing the back up support.

But unfortunately these days there are hardly any matured players coming out from school cricket and most of them are just over average players which is the main reason for the drop of standard at this level of cricket.

Meanwhile the Sri Lanka under 19 team coach Roger Wijesuriya felt that the batting have let them down badly in this tournament and have always struggled for runs. He noted that the players should have more patience and occupy the crease for more sessions to take control of the situation.

He said that the absence of Roshane Silva and Nizam Mazahir was no doubt a major setback but was disappointed that the other players could not grab this opportunity and cement their places in the squad. The Sri Lankan coach also said that the players do play too many cricket currently and that too should have a big impact on the teams poor performance.

Wijesuriya stressed the importance of playing a few number of quality matches against very good opposition during a season which should not exceed more than five months.

He said that they will be concentrating more on fitness and fielding hereafter until the World Cup and believed that the rest of the things would come naturally.

The Sri Lankan coach also came hard on the present junior cricket structure which he feels is the main cause for the current crisis. He said that winning matches on bonus points is a negative fact and by that way they are killing the power of victory among the youngsters.

Wijesuriya said that the players should develop their winning habit from the young days and should be able to set up certain goals and achieve them in the hard way. He said that the selectors will need to make some drastic changes in the coming days and even try to search for new talent from the under 19 players who are competing in the current under 19 tournament.