Sri Lanka refusing to learn from their mistakes - Opinion
Sri Lanka’s poor run in the on-going five-match One Day International (ODI) series against India continues, with the home team refusing to learn from their mistakes and losing the fourth match by a massive margin of six wickets.
The Islanders have already lost the series, with one match still to be played at Pallekele on Saturday.
Jayawardene’s men performed exceptionally well in the recently concluded series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 but they have looked a completely different side against the Men in Blue, showing extremely poor body language.
In the fourth ODI, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SK-Raina-c2539 (58 not out), scripted
a comprehensive victory for their side, chasing down 251 with 46 balls to spare.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 have always been a very good fielding team but in the two ODIs played at Colombo, the home team has been extremely lackluster, giving away overthrows, allowing the Indian batsmen to convert singles into twos and not lashing
on to the chances at crucial stages of the innings.
Unfortunately, their performance in the third match was quite similar in the field and the team management will be extremely worried that the boys are repeating the mistakes.
After losing the third ODI from a winning position, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/DPMD-Jayawardene-c1397, the Sri Lankan captain, rued the missed opportunities and expressed that Raina's dropped catch was the turning point of the match.
The home team posted a mammoth total of 286 runs on the board for the loss of five wickets, putting India under pressure, after they lost their premier opener, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/V-Sehwag-c2739, in the second over of their innings.
However, Sehwag’s opening partner, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/G-Gambhir-c1447, played out of his skin and blasted a magnificent ton to seal the advantage back for his team.
After Gambhir’s run out in the 40th over of the innings, the home team had the match in their grasp before Raina, on 19, was dropped at cover by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/KC-Sangakkara-c1779.
The left-hander went on to score a match-winning 65 off merely 45 balls to snatch victory from the home team’s jaws.
The cricketer from Colombo expressed that the decision to bat first was the right one but admitted that his team should have scored more runs; however, their progress was hampered due to some early wickets.
"When we put runs on the board it is always easier for a side to put pressure. Even after being 20 for 3, we ended up with 286. I thought if we had a good start we probably could have scored more runs,” Jayawardene mentioned.
The seasoned middle-order batsman also criticized his bowlers and fielders for their jaded performance in the closing stages of the game, which allowed Raina and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Irfan-Pathan-c1601 to run away with the show.
"I thought we came back into the game when they were 180 for 4 after the Powerplay," the Sri Lankan captain added. "I think the way we bowled in the last ten overs and obviously the lost opportunities [while fielding] probably cost
us the game. We had them [under pressure] in certain situations, but just couldn't finish it off."
The two teams will lock horns in the fifth ODI on August 4, with the Islanders playing for pride, before the only T20 International of the tour, to be held at the same venue next week.
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