NEW DELHI: Another poor performance marked the end of a forgettable
World T20
2016 for
Sri Lanka
as they suffered an eight-wicket defeat at the hands of
South Africa
on Monday. They return home with just one win from the tournament which came against Afghanistan. That win looks as if it came ages ago because since then the team has lost three consecutive matches to add to the seven defeats they've suffered this year before the tournament started. The problems that plagued them then have continued with no immediate solution on the horizon.
Batting continues to be their scourge. Against South Africa, with the chance of a consolation win before leave India for home on offer, Sri Lankan batsmen gave yet another example of impatience, irresponsibility and a clear inability to asses match situation. In the absence of injured
Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal was handed the captaincy against South Africa. Put into bat, Chandimal and Tillakaratne Dilshan provided a strong start. The score was 44/0 in the fifth over when the introduction of Aaron Phangiso changed the scenario.
Dilshan had already scored a four and a six off Pahngiso in that over but the bowler made a comeback with two wickets off consecutive deliveries. Chandimal was out for 21 while Lahiru Thirimanne was bowled for a first ball duck - both failing to read the deliveries. Two quick blows were enough to create flutters in a brittle batting line-up. Dilshan and Millinda Siriwardana tried limiting the damage and started the rebuilding phase. Halfway through their attempt, a moment of indecision triggered a disaster as Siriwardana's quest for a quick single was promptly turned down by his partner. However, by the time he got the message, it was too late as a fleet-footed Faf du Plessis' direct-hit caught him well short of his crease. Sri Lanka were 77/3 at that stage and were eventually skittled for 120.
It was yet another shoddy effort. The absence of Mathews also hurt Sri Lanka badly as he has been the one who has engineered several resurrections when others have crumbled. Legspinner
Jeffrey Vandersay refused to put the blame squarely on the batsmen saying it has to be a collective responsibility. "As a bowler, my thinking is whatever the batsmen put on the board, we should defend it. And that's a team game. I won't put the blame on them. The team has to take the responsibility," Vandersay defended his batsmen who were given a lesson or two by their counterparts in South African team on how to approach batting on a sluggish pitch.
The 26-year-old went wicketless in the match but put in yet another impressive show in another forgettable performance from his team. "It was tough for the team and we were quite disappointed in the dressing room. Things would have turned much better if we had put good total, bowl better and fielded better. From personal point of view, I am happy (with my perfomance) yet disappointed that the ultimate result was a loss (for Sri Lanka)," he said.
He, though, reiterated that this young team has the potential and the requisite talent needed to win matches but there were certain aspects of the game which didn't go their way during the three losses in the tournament. "We always believe in ourselves. We always have the potential and the talent to win matches. But certain areas of the game didn't quite go in our way. We lost four wickets for 15 runs and then the captain Angelo Mathews played a brilliant innings. We lost by 10 runs which shows the character and potential of the Sri Lankan fight."
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