Sri Lanka’s stand-in captain Upul Tharanga admits that his team were slow between overs after copping a two-match ban for a slow over rate after their opening Champions Trophy clash against South Africa on Saturday.
Tharanga will now miss his side’s remaining two games in group B, against India and Pakistan, after is team took four hours and seven minutes to complete their 50 overs in their 96-run defeat to the Proteas.
Match referee David Boon imposed the two-game with Tharanga admitting to the charges.
Tharanga said: “We were too slow even when we were moving. Between the overs also I felt that we were not moving fast enough. The umpires actually warned me in the 40th over that we were three overs behind.
“Usually we need more time to bowl the last ten overs, but we failed to pull back things. It was difficult to catch up having been too slow earlier on.
“In the first ten overs, we were two overs short and the umpires informed me. We took too long no doubt.”
Regular skipper Angelo Mathews should be available for the games against their fellow Asian sides after missing the clash against the Proteas because of a calf injury.
