Dimuth hopeful that spinners will deliver against Australia

Sri Lanka Test captain Dimuth Karunaratne on arrival from Bangladesh at Bandaranaike International Airport

The two main run getters in the series Angelo Mathews (344 runs) and Dinesh Chandimal (229)

The two-leading wicket-takers in the series Asitha Fernando (13 wickets) and Kasun Rajitha (11)

• Expresses disappointment at their performance in Bangladesh series 

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Sri Lanka Test captain Dimuth Karunaratne said on arrival from Bangladesh that he hoped his spinners would deliver in the upcoming two-Test series against Australia starting next month.

The three spinners Lasith Embuldeniya, Ramesh Mendis and Praveen Jayawickrama managed just two wickets between them whilst conceding 451 runs in the two Tests against Bangladesh played at Chattogram and Mirpur, whereas Bangladesh’s three spinners Nayeem Hasan, Shakib Al Hasan and Taijul Islam took 20 of the 24 wickets, on pitches that were spin oriented than to pace. 

It was left to fast bowlers Kasun Rajitha and Asitha Fernando to compensate for the failure of the spinners to bowl their team to a series victory with a win in the second Test. They took 24 of the 27 wickets to fall to bowlers in the series.    

“If you take our spinners, they were not up to the mark. They were not in the same plane as the fast bowlers; they were below par. If they had also contributed, we could have won the contest much more easily,” said Karunaratne.

“It was a very hard-fought win. The wickets were different to the ones we got on past tours to Bangladesh, so we had to work hard for the win. It was the fast bowlers who delivered, and I am thankful to them for fashioning out our win.”

Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by ten wickets in the second Test at Mirpur to clinch the two-match series 1-0 after a high scoring draw in the first Test at Chattogram. 

Karunaratne said that the spinners will have to perform better than they did in Bangladesh in the two upcoming home Test series against Australia and Pakistan. 

“Our win in Bangladesh and our victory in the last Test series against Australia will give us a lot of confidence. In the last series against Australia, we had spinners like Rangana Herath and Dilruwan Perera, but on this occasion I don’t have that support,” said Karunaratne. 

s“We have a few areas to improve, one is the fielding, and we have to up our skills with our spinners. I have a lot of belief that (Lasith) Embuldeniya, Ramesh (Mendis) and Praveen (Jayawickrama) will deliver against Australia. I don’t expect our fast bowlers to perform on our wickets, it is the spinners who need to contribute.”

Karunaratne hoped the win in Bangladesh brought some joy to the people who are undergoing some tough times in the country.

“When we left for Bangladesh, we knew of the situation in the country. Cricket is Sri Lanka’s no. 1 sport, the supporters of the game, whatever difficulties they face in life they never forget the game of cricket. That’s why I wanted to share this win with those who are struggling for the betterment of the country. Wherever we play they are always with us. I am happy that we were able to bring some joy to their faces.”

The Australian team is due in Sri Lanka next week and commence their five-week tour with the first T20I at the R.Premadasa Stadium on 7 June. They are scheduled to play a series of three T20Is, five ODIs and two Tests.