De Silva urges Sri Lanka to copy Australia

Saturday, 9 April 2011 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Sri Lanka’s outgoing chief selector and former batsman Aravinda de Silva on Thursday urged players to develop the never-say-die spirit shown by Australia.

“We are superior in talent to Australia, but it is the character and the fighting spirit which we must inculcate in our players,” de Silva, vice-captain of the 1996 World Cup-winning Sri Lankan team, told reporters.

A three-member Sri Lankan selection committee led by de Silva quit on Wednesday, less than a week after the team’s defeat against India in the World Cup final in Mumbai. De Silva, who scored 6,361 runs in Tests and 9,284 in one-day internationals, said he felt players became “emotional” during the final as the match tilted in India’s favour. “Maybe they were thinking about lost opportunities and became emotional,” he said. “This is the difference between an Australian side and ours. They don’t give up the match until the last ball is bowled. “They (Sri Lanka) should know how to fight until the last ball and not to give up the game. These are the things that we don’t have in our culture.”

Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara and vice-captain Mahela Jayawardene have stepped down following the World Cup defeat, while Australia-born coach Trevor Bayliss’ four-year stint with the team also ended after the tournament.