‘It’s hard to have an outstanding record on these pitches’- Dhananjaya de Silva calls for rethink of playing on spin-friendly decks

In the two-match Test series at Galle, the Sri Lankans lost 2-0 to Australia, capping out their WTC cycle with a disappointing defeat. The Australians won the second Test match by nine wickets when the game ended on the fourth day.

Even though certain Sri Lankan players put up respectable performances, the Australians had once again controlled the game, and it was hardly their finest series. The squad has received a lot of criticism lately, and when questioned if the team should cease playing on spin-friendly tracks at home, Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva said emphatically that they should reconsider their intentions for the same.

“As batters, there is undoubtedly a question of whether [we] are playing spin well; we will need to reconsider.” Based on their performance, they realised that it’s difficult to defend on these surfaces and scored a lot of runs square [of the wicket]. With the pressure they placed on us, we were unable to apply that ourselves.

We need to consider whether we should continue playing on these kinds of fields or ones that are more appropriate for us,” Dhananjaya de Silva said.

We bat in spin-friendly conditions, so it’s difficult to have an exceptional record on these pitches. As a batter, I enjoy playing in other venues because my records there are better. If you look at our batting averages, they’re lower than those of batters in other nations, and you can see why. To get wickets on good tracks, however, bowlers must also possess a high level of technique. However, I believe it’s worthwhile to consider,” De Silva continued.

In relation to the series, the only reliable hitters who contributed some significant runs for Sri Lanka were Dinesh Chandimal and Kusal Mendis. In the bowling department, Prabhat Jayasuriya averaged 40.44 in the three innings he bowled, despite ultimately becoming the leading wicket-taker.