- Says spin is SL’s strong suit and hails Sanath’s impact
Skipper Charith Asalanka, who led Sri Lanka to a historic 2-1 T20I bilateral series triumph over the West Indies on Thursday (17) in Dambulla, dismissed allegations from West Indies Head Coach Daren Sammy that the home team had prepared rank turners for the last two games in fear of losing on decent decks.
“I think the wickets prepared for all three matches were decent, as the statistics will show,” Asalanka told reporters, in the wake of the nine-wicket rout of the tourists in the series decider.
“Even in the first match we anticipated a similar pitch, but due to the overnight rains its state changed somewhat. However, that was a very good surface and so were the ones used for the second and third games as well. Also, a close analysis of the statistics will show you that both teams played on good tracks.
“I think it’s sour grapes to say that we put them in a spinners’ graveyard in the final two,” he said.
Asalanka added that his team was ready to play on any given pitch and to their strengths at all times, emphasising that the pitches would not be blamed for any reversals experienced.
Sri Lanka, who lost the series opener last Sunday (13) by five wickets, hit back with a record 73-run win in the second on Tuesday (15) to level the series.
This was also Sri Lanka’s first home T20I series triumph over an International Cricket Council (ICC) top seven-ranked team, the previous occasion being a similar series success they had enjoyed over India in 2021.
Asalanka was ecstatic over his team’s achievement and said it should augur well for their journey towards the next ICC T20I World Cup, to be held in the Indian subcontinent in 2026.
“We had planned meticulously ahead of this series and the players, barring the opening game, played to their full potential. We ultimately managed to come out on top, which is satisfying, as we have not savoured a series success over these guys before.”
The top-order batter said that all facets of the format had been covered, with there being a strong bench to fall back on when needed. He opined that a solid bench would always keep those in the playing XI on their toes.
“The advantage of having strong backup is that the guys who are playing know that if they don’t deliver in the middle, there are guys who are waiting in the dugout to take their place. That is a system that I feel will benefit this team in the short to long term.”
Asalanka expressed the belief that spin had been the hosts’ strong suit in all forms of the game and maintained that with the next World Cup to be co-hosted between India and Sri Lanka, the performance of his slow bowlers in the concluded series should stand in good stead moving forward.
However, he stressed that there was still scope for improvement for his faster bowlers in the format, as they looked to excel in all conditions.
He also showered praise on his batters, including Pathum Nissanka (Player of the Series), Kusal Mendis, and Kusal Janith, for the masterly batting effort in the series finale, with the trio chasing down a target of 162 to win following the loss of Nissanka and with two overs to spare.
The white ball Captain also spoke glowingly of the input of his Head Coach Sanath Jayasuriya, who since being involved with the national team, has transformed its fortunes in all three formats for Sri Lanka.