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BSP-12
CRICKET-LEWIS-POST-MATCH
Tigers decision to play five bowlers pays off despite ordinary day
DHAKA, April 29, 2021(BSS)—Bangladesh batting coach Jon Lewis believes the decision to play five bowlers in the second Test against Sri Lanka paid off as the visitors had to deal with a benign pitch yet again at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Thursday.
It is still not sure whether the pitch would break unlike the first Test’s pitch but Lewis said the Tigers need to prepare for a long fielding day, considering the fact that the pitch still heavily favours the batsman.
Sri Lanka won the toss and expectedly elected to bat first, which was justified as they ended the day on 291-1 with Lahiru Thirimanne batting on 131 and Oshada Fernando was on 40. Earlier, skipper Dimuth Karunaratne was dismissed on 118 after sharing a 209-run opening partnership with Thirimanne.
“It is frustrating but I have some sympathy for the bowlers. Their efforts can’t be faulted. There isn’t an assistant for bowling of any type. We are lucky that we have five bowlers,” Lewis said in a virtual post match conference after day one’s game.
“We made the decision in this series to use five bowlers. Looking at these surfaces so far, it has been a good decision. It is still hard. The weather is debilitating. It is pretty warm out there. I am impressed with the way the guys stuck to the task, but we have a few guys quite early in their Test career, particularly the seamers. They are learning all the time, but we want to win Tests. Not learning about Test matches. But even on days like today, we can take some encouraging steps forward.”
Bangladesh appeared to be in another long fielding day on day two considering Sri Lanka’s position in this game but Lewis hoped to apply some pressure and make it tough for the hosts.
“I think it is a bit of a mirror image of the first Test. Although the pitch was good, we hoped to apply scoreboard pressure but Sri Lanka dealt with it very well. We have to learn from that, and do the same,” he remarked.
“It seems like Sri Lanka will get a big score. We will spend at least another couple of sessions in the field, and it is something we have to deal with. The pitch still looks good at the moment, and we have to deal with the fact that they have a score on the board. We have some batsmen with good form behind them after the first Test,” he pointed.
While the pitch didn’t favour the bowlers, Bangladesh also made the day tougher for them by putting down the catch of Karunaratne and Thirimanne who both later struck centuries.
But Lewis didn’t want to be critical on the fielders rather he termed it as human error.
“It is easy to be critical. Not many chances were created today. In fact in both Tests, it was tough to create too many chances around the bat. It is important on these surfaces that you make the most of the opportunities that the bowlers create,” he said.
“We probably missed one or two, and guys work hard on their fielding. It is a case of making it count in the middle. Maybe we did miss one or two today. Not ideal, but it is not due to lack of effort or attention to detail or practice. It is probably due to the fact that we are dealing with human beings here.”
BSS/SMP/AU/19:35 hrs