Mathews bemoans ‘awful cricket’

Monday, 14 July 2014 00:31 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

ESPNCricinfo: Angelo Mathews is not used to his team losing a series. Not this year at least. So when Sri Lanka lost their first trophy of 2014 in their first home assignment, Mathews did not hold back on the criticism of his own side. Sri Lanka played “awful cricket” on Saturday, he said, when they allowed South Africa to wallop 339 for 5, then fell 82 runs short of that score. There was no talk of “taking the positives” or dwelling on personal achievements. It was a match in which Mathews felt Sri Lanka “didn’t do anything well”. First in the firing line was the bowling and fielding, which was particularly lackluster in comparison to South Africa’s effort in the field. The hosts dropped Quinton de Kock on 38 and missed a stumping chance when he was on 71. De Kock would go on to top score with 128 and lay the foundation for South Africa’s mammoth score. “We don’t deserve to win – the way we played today,” Mathews said. “We started off pretty poorly with the ball and in the field. I think they got 20 to 30 runs too many. On the field we were pretty flat once again. Our fielding was not up to the mark. A team like South Africa is going to steal runs from us. We have to sharpen that up. We let a couple of crucial chances go.

ICC bans Sachithra Senanayake over action

REUTERS: Off-spinner Sachithra Senanayake has been banned from international cricket for an illegal bowling action, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said on Saturday. Senanayake, 29, was reported during his side’s five-match one-day international series in England in June and his action underwent assessment in Cardiff.

Tests revealed he exceeded the allowed 15-degree flex in four deliveries considered to be suspect during the fourth match at Lord’s. “The report concludes that Sachithra bowled with an illegal bowling action and consequently he is banned from bowling in international cricket, effective immediately,” a statement on the SLC website (www.srilankacricket.lk) said. “This matter will be referred to the SLC Cricket Committee for their recommendation.” Senanayake, who has played one test, 37 ODIs and 17 Twenty20 matches for Sri Lanka, was allowed to continue playing while under investigation and appeared in all three of his country’s recent 50-over matches against South Africa. The match officials’ decision to report Senanayake caused friction between Sri Lanka and England, tension that was further increased when the bowler controversially ran out non-striker Jos Buttler in the final match in Birmingham.

“We know our conditions at home, so we should have played better. South Africa is a very good team, and we can’t take them lightly, and I said that at the start of the tour.” No score in excess of 300 has ever been chased in Sri Lanka. Mathews, however, felt the hosts had a chance to win the match with the bat, but his team approached the chase poorly. Mathews top-scored with 58 at a strike rate of 72, and perhaps he wanted his team-mates to bat a little more like him - conserving their wickets and rotating the strike, in preparation for a big surge in the final 15 overs. However, despite a rapid start, Sri Lanka lost three wickets for six runs between the 12th and 14th overs, effectively leaving the lower middle order with too much to do. “The way we batted – I guess the middle order thought of getting the runs in 40 overs. We tried to get a few too many runs too soon and ended up giving wickets. “It was a very good wicket. The middle order could have taken the game deep, we could have chased it. We kept losing wickets at crucial stages. There are about four 30s from the top order. When we are chasing 320, someone in the top four has to score a hundred. Two of their batsmen hit centuries.” Among his frustrations with the batting order is the problem of inconsistency. Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan have been prolific for the team over the past two years, but aside from Mathews, no other batsman has strung together significant scores through that period. Lahiru Thirimanne’s Asia Cup may be the only exception. “If we take Sanga and Dilshan, they are among the runs all the time. If the others can be consistent like that, that would be great for the side. We can’t expect runs from a couple of players every match, because there are seven batsmen. Someone has to play well on a certain day. If we don’t score runs and take the responsibility, the bowlers have nothing to bowl at.”

Upul Tharanga recalled for South Africa Tests

Takes Karunaratne’s place, Pradeep injured

ESPNCricinfo: Opening batsman Upul Tharanga is set to play his first Test in over six years, after being named in Sri Lanka’s 15-man squad for the two-Test series against South Africa. Middle-order batsman Kithuruwan Vithanage also found a place in the squad, as did spinner Ajantha Mendis. Fast bowler Dhammika Prasad, who was instrumental in Sri Lanka’s win at Headingley, has also been retained, while Suranga Lakmal is touted to make a return after recovering from a hamstring tear. Tharanga, 29, had been pigeon-holed as an ODI player, and lost his place in the limited-overs team in the interim, but has won his way back into the Test side on the back of a decent domestic season and a good run in the Sri Lanka A side. He averaged 59 on England Lions’ visit to Sri Lanka in February, hitting two centuries as captain, and

had also averaged 43.59 in the Premier League Tournament. His last Test had been against England in 2007, and his most recent international appearance was against South Africa in a home ODI series 12 months ago. Tharanga replaces Dimuth Karunaratne, who has been dropped after he failed to cross fifty on the tour of England, though he did get four starts and averaged over 30 after 13 Tests. Karunaratne’s inability to convert bright starts into substantial scores has been a theme of his brief career so far, and had been among the reasons he was dropped - he has scored only two half-centuries in 17 innings. Kaushal Silva will open alongside Tharanga. Injuries to Nuwan Pradeep, who strained a quad muscle in the domestic T20 tournament, and Prasanna Jayawardene, who broke a finger at Lord’s, have kept both men out of the squad. Jayawardene’s recovery, in particular, has been a slow process. He has not yet begun keeping or batting, perhaps because he kept and batted throughout the Lord’s Test after the original diagnosis had been overly optimistic. Kithuruwan Vithanage, who played in Sri Lanka’s tour of Bangladesh in January and February, replaces Jayawardene as a batsman in the squad. Dinesh Chandimal is the most likely to take the gloves in Jayawardene’s stead. Sri Lanka’s pace battery for the Tests consists of Suranga Lakmal, Dhammikka Prasad, Chanaka Welegedara and Shaminda Eranga. Welegedara had been on the England tour, but has not played a Test in 18 months. Nuwan Kulasekara, who had played one Test on that tour, has been dropped. Rangana Herath will lead the spin attack, with offspinner Dilruwan Perera set to compete with Mendis if two spinners are required in the XI. Mendis last played Tests against Bangladesh in February. Offspinner Tharindu Kaushal, however, misses out, after having been named in previous home series squads. Angelo Mathews will lead the side, and Lahiru Thirimanne will be vice captain. The first Test begins in Galle on Wednesday, with the second scheduled at the Sinhalese Sports Club on 24 July. Squad: Angelo Mathews (capt), Lahiru Thirimanne (vice-capt), Upul Tharanga, Kaushal Silva, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Kithuruwan Vithanage, Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera, Ajantha Mendis, Suranga Lakmal, Shaminda Eranga, Dhammika Prasad, Chanaka Welagedara.

The third ODI became a double blow for Sri Lanka because it put AB de Villiers in even better touch than he had been in, as he hit 108 from 71 balls. Mathews hoped Sri Lanka would bowl better at him in the upcoming Tests. “AB is a very dangerous player, and when he gets going you can’t really bowl at him because he scores 360 degrees. He’s one of the best players I’ve seen and he’s in great form, so hopefully we can get him out early in the Test matches.”

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