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Sri Lanka’s interim men’s head coach Sanath Jayasuriya believes it is a great opportunity for the Test team to play three matches against England in the latter half of the summer, as the conditions will suit the visitors. Sri Lanka will begin their Test series against England at Old Trafford in Manchester on August 21. “The fact that we have got a late summer tour is great, because the wickets have been used a lot, and there is more sunshine this time of year. It is more akin to our conditions than the early summer tours. I have made sure the players know it is a great opportunity,” Jayasuriya told ESPNCricinfo.
With many players touring England for the longest format for the first time, Jayasuriya said the Sri Lankan players need to be in the right mindset before the series begins. “I want to make sure they have that hunger. Playing three Tests like this is not an opportunity you get again easily.”
“So we have to embrace it while we can. It is challenging to score runs here because even if the pitches are flat, the ball can start swinging or seaming. We have to know how to adapt to it.”
In his six Tests in England, Jayasuriya scored 421 runs at an average of 42.1, with his best innings being 213 at the Oval in 1998. With Sri Lanka having the services of Dinesh Chandimal, Dimuth Karunaratne and Angelo Mathews, who were members of the team that won the Test series in England in 2014, Jayasuriya wants the other batsmen to be flexible in their batting approach.
“We have the players but we have to work hard. If you play six or seven batsmen, only two or three will definitely do well. If they get a start they have to play big innings. They know the responsibility is on them on challenging wickets.”
“Everyone should play their natural game, but once you get started, there are places where you have to break things up a bit, and either bat faster, or slow down a bit. Even when the ball gets older, it can still seam here, which is the uniqueness of the Dukes ball.”
Sri Lanka is fourth in the World Test Championship points table with a 50% point percentage, while England is seventh with 36.54% points. Jayasuriya said Sri Lanka has a bowling plan to counter England’s aggressive batting style.
“I think the most pressure will be in the first ten overs. If you look at history, they have been aggressive in the first ten overs and scored runs quickly. We have some plans to counter that. And we know they will play like this.”
“We have to bowl in the right areas, and if they hit the balls well, that’s okay. We have to figure out the right length for the situation. There will also be times when we have to cover the areas of the ground where they are attacking, to reduce the boundaries.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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