Jayawardene wants the Sri Lankan batsmen to step up and humiliate the Australians
Sri Lanka batsman Mahela Jayawardene has challenged all the batsmen to bounce back after their appalling performance in the three-Test series and first ODI against Australia.
With the ODI series currently tied 1-1, Jayawardene wants the batsmen to build upon their outstanding performance in the second ODI and use their newfound self confidence to hand the Australians an embarrassing loss in front of their home fans.
However, it is not only the batsmen that have been cut down to their knees as former Australia pace bowler Rodney Hogg branded the current Sri Lankan bowling attack as the “worst new-ball attack that has landed on our shores ever”.
In response to the heavy criticism, Jayawardene said: “To be honest I don’t know in which capacity he has said that, teams have to start somewhere. We have lost some fast bowlers in the past and some due to injuries.
“This is an attack that is different. We probably don’t have the pace which you think which is required to win Test matches in Australia but we’ve got guys who will bowl good lines and lengths and create opportunities. If we keep to that I think we stand a good chance. Once we finish that, I’ll have a chat to Rodney Hogg.”
Jayawardene also wants to see more centuries being made by batsmen in the team as during the New Zealand Test series, which ended as 1-1 draw, none of the Sri Lankan batsmen were able to reach triple figures and only three managed to get past the half-century mark.
“We’ll bank on our experience with our batting,” Jayawardene added. “The important thing is to put runs on the board and give our bowlers a chance.
“If we achieve that, I think we have a pretty good chance. Looking at the wicket, both teams will have a challenge on their hands because we don’t know how the wicket is going to play. Depending on that, we need to adjust.”
With Jayawardene having been replaced as captain by all-rounder Angelo Mathews, the ex-Sri Lankan skipper believes his successor will play a huge role during the rest of the ODI series.
“Angelo has improved a lot over the years,” Jayawardene said. “Every time he’s been challenged he’s come out of those challenges very well. Definitely at No.6 6, he has given us that little bit extra of what we’ve been looking for: an aggressive player who can score quickly and change a game for us. With the ball he’s contributed as well. Yes he is going to play a big role.”
Despite scoring a century in his debut ODI, Jayawardene noted that Australian opener Phillip Hughes was still the man Sri Lanka would continue targeting during the rest of the series.
“We’ve spoken to a few people and we’ve seen a lot of footage of Hughes lately as well,” Jayawardene added. “We know where his strengths are now and what he’s trying to do. If we keep bowling where we want him to be playing at consistently, we probably can get him to make a few mistakes.”