Inconsistent performances led to debacle-Jayawardene – Cricket News Update
Sri Lankan skipper, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/DPMD-Jayawardene-c1397, blamed inconsistency as the main reason for his team’s debacles in the Asia Cup, which ended without any victory, following the loss to hosts Bangladesh yesterday.
Lankans were touted as favorites after their ecstatic performances in the recently concluded Commonwealth Bank tri-series Down Under, where they finished runners up to eventual winners Australia. However, they performed well below par in the subsequent mega
event and were overwhelmingly beaten by all their Asian counterparts.
The four-time Asia Cup Champions faced a 50-run win in the opening encounter against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747, which saw them lose by six and five wickets respectively.
The dejected Asian http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Lions-c808 will now head back where the English contingent is waiting to lock horns in a two-match Test series, with the first game scheduled to take place from March 26. The skipper is hopeful that the team can rectify their mistakes and assess
it swiftly before tackling their next opponents.
“We made many mistakes with the bat, ball on the field, so we will go back home and assess it. We raised our game pretty well in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 and had set some standards but we could not maintain those standards," said the 34-year-old captain.
Commenting on their lack of conviction, Mahela highlighted the first game as the turning point, where they relinquished a healthy position to lose by a hefty margin.
"I thought the Indian game was crucial when we were 200 for 2 or 3, chasing 300-plus but somehow we failed to finish the game off and from that point onwards we have not been able to play consistent cricket,” said the right-handed skipper.
Their cause was further dealt a blow due to numerous injuries to key players, including all-rounders http://www.senore.com/Cricket/AD-Mathews-c913 and Thisara Perera, who were ruled out of the campaign after suffering injuries during the CB series.
Both had been instrumental for the side Down Under, however, their absences left a huge void in terms of balance in the side and the replacements weren’t able to find their feet.
With the pace batteries also performing below par, the Lankan team were surprisingly off their game and will now look to overcome their weak areas and show their strength against the no.1 ranked Poms.
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