Rex Clementine in Port Elizabeth
Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews faulted the shot selection of his batsmen after the tourists suffered a heavy 206 run loss in the first Test against South Africa at St. George’s Park here in Port Elizabeth on Friday.
Cricketry – Remaining Tests will be much tougher for Sri Lanka
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Set an imposing target of 488 in more than five sessions, the Sri Lankans were bowled out for 281 on the fifth morning to suffer their ninth defeat in 11 Tests in South Africa.
“I think the shot selection is the key when it comes to a wicket like this and against a bowling attack like this. You need to concentrate really hard. You need to work really hard to score runs against these guys. There are very few opportunities to score runs. Sometimes as batters you wait for the bad ball and you don’t get it for a long time. That is Test cricket.” Mathews said at the post-match press conference.
Sri Lanka had restricted South Africa to 286 in the first innings with a fine effort with the ball. But soon found playing catch-up after they were shot out for 205 runs as South Africa took a first innings lead of 83 runs.
“It is very important to get a lead in the first innings or to even the opposition. If you give them a lead, it’s going to be hard work to get back into the game. I thought we played some terrible shots in the second innings as well and that was our own downfall. It’s true that they bowled well, but we were guilty of some loose dismissals and there was a run out as well.”
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Mathews was pleased with the half-century that Kusal Mendis scored and more importantly about his approach. “The way Kusal Mendis batted – apart from the shot he played to get himself out – was brilliant. He was so positive. He was willing to take on the bowlers and that is a plus point for us. We shouldn’t back off even in these conditions. It is challenging, but we need to look to score runs.”
Given the dominance of South Africa’s seam bowlers in the game, more greenish wickets are expected during the rest of the series. Sri Lanka will travel to Cape Town on Saturday where Newlands hosts the second Test while The Wanderers in Johannesburg is the venue for the third and final Test.
Mathews was confident that his seamers will do the job for him during the remainder of the tour. “Suranga Lakmal bowled extremely well in this match and we all know what Nuwan Pradeep can do. Chameera is just coming after a long layoff. When the ball is moving around they still can bowl in good areas and put pressure on the batsmen.”
