Mathews negates panic
Captain Angelo Mathews has remained calm in the face of a series deficit ahead of Sri Lanka's second ODI against South Africa at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.
Captain Angelo Mathews has remained calm in the face of a series deficit ahead of Sri Lanka's second ODI against South Africa at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.
The hosts were thoroughly outplayed in the series opener at the R Premadasa Stadium, where centurion Hashim Amla and half-centurion AB de Villiers fired the Proteas to a convincing 75-run win.
"We don't need to panic. It's just one game and we played poorly. We can turn things around if we play better cricket than this. We don't need to panic or make major changes. Making changes shows the opposition that we are panicking. We just need to pull our socks up and try and perform better," said Mathews.
Opening batsman Kusal Perera and Tillakaratne Dilshan are likely to be retained as the opening batsmen, with the veteran Mahela Jayawardene kept in the middle order alongside the left-handed Kumar Sangakkara and inexperienced Ashan Priyanjan.
"I don't think we are that desperate to open with Mahela because his experience in the middle order counts a lot. We need someone like Mahela to try and control the middle order. Kusal has been doing pretty well up there, and he played a good knock on Sunday. Unfortunately he couldn't carry on," added Mathews.
"Mahela will play at number four but in an emergency, he might play as an opener or at number three. We've got a set batting order and we're not going to meddle with that. Ashan plays very freely, no matter what the situation is."
Latest
-
NewsJake Libby earns draw as Somerset, Hampshire and Gloucestershire open with wins
Worcestershire opener Libby made the second-longest Championship innings ever and was on the field for every ball of the match.
-
NewsJofra Archer to find out whether he could feature in IPL next week
Archer has already been ruled out of the initial stages of the tournament after undergoing surgery to remove glass from his finger last month.
-
NewsStuart Broad would support social media boycott as racist abuse continues online
Some football teams and players have taken a break from social media.
-
NewsSnow hits Glamorgan hopes as Rory Burns and Ben Foakes shine for Surrey
Burns made 74 and England team-mate Foakes an unbeaten 81 for Surrey against Gloucestershire at Bristol.
-
NewsICC Player of the Month nominations for March announced
Winners of the player of the month awards will be announced every second Monday of the month on the ICC’s digital channels.
-
NewsBilly Root overshadows brother Joe as England captain suffers against Glamorgan
The visitors closed the second day with the upper hand at Headingley.
-
NewsSadiq Khan hoping to attract future IPL matches to London
London has staged NFL, MLB and NBA matches in London in the past and the London Mayor hopes IPL matches can also be staged in the capital.
-
NewsDan Lawrence shows early touch as Essex start strongly in Championship
There were big hundreds for Sam Robson, Tom Haines and James Vince.
-
NewsSachin Tendulkar thanks medical staff after returning home from hospital
Tendulkar was admitted to hospital last week after revealing he had tested positive for Covid-19 and had been in quarantine at home.
-
NewsNew Zealand name squad for their Test tour of England
New Zealand have named a 20-player squad for their tour of England, with three uncapped prospects in the group.