(UTV|Second ODI at Hambantota today) – It will be a must win situation for West Indies as they strive to level the three-match ODI series and keep it alive in their bid to secure their first series win in Sri Lanka when they play the second ODI at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium here in Sooriyawewa on Wednesday.
West Indies lost the first ODI to Sri Lanka by one wicket in a close finish at the SSC on Saturday and they knew where they went wrong by bowling a total of 14 wides that enabled Sri Lanka to win in a record 290 run chase at the venue and take an early 1-0 lead in the series.
Sri Lanka will be keen to wrap up the series with a win at Hambantota and head coach Mickey Arthur believes the closeness of the victory has binded the players together well.
“It was really important for us to get a win the other day to almost solidify the process we are on. By getting that win in a close game we almost solidified the path we are in. The guys then buy into the game
we want to play and buy into our brand of cricket. Wins obviously give you that confidence and that morale boost that actually you are on the right track,” said Arthur at the pre-match press conference. “The team spirit is outstanding the guys have jelled beautifully and they
have fitted into their roles. They are a bunch of really nice guys. Getting over the line in a close game does tend to bind the guys quite nicely.” Sri Lanka will be putting out the same eleven for today’s contest and Arthur expects more from the batting unit who failed to come up with any substantial individual contributions following a century opening stand.
“Our batting was good in patches. One thing I said to the guys is that in the top six those are the guys who have to get us close. We had 52, 50, 47, 20, 5 and 18 that was good, they built some partnerships but we need a batsman going through. We need one of our batsman getting a big score because then it allows Thisara Perera and Wanindu (Hasaranga) the freedom to come in at the back end and finish games off,” said Arthur. “When they came needing 90 we were still far out. You are going to win 3 out of 10 games if your 7 and 8 need 90 but if your 7 and 8 are walking to the wicket needing 40 of 50 runs to win you are winning 8 out of 10. Those are areas we have looked to improve on,” he said. On the bowling front Arthur said, “The way we bowled upfront with the new ball Nuwan Pradeep was outstanding, Thisara Perera did a really good job with the new ball and I am impressed with our two spinners on a wicket that didn’t really turn that much. They had the ability to control the run rate which was good and they always asked questions. “Even though Isuru Udana went for a bit his role is to tie up those middle overs for us and then at the death. He picked up three wickets in the middle which was really important for us in bringing that run rate back and us threatening to bowl them out. We had a good chat around our death bowling. David Sekhar has spoken to our bowlers and we had a look at our plans. We have prepared very well.
We hope that we take that same attitude out to the ground tomorrow and hopefully that contributes to another positive result for us.” The heat is something both teams will have to put up with even though it is quite windy at times.
“The heat here, our medical staff is working overtime. In terms of the dehydration we did get a couple of guys with cramps the other day so the rehydration plan and the hydration plan for the guys leading into the game is very important. That’s been going on for the last two days,” said Arthur.
Shai Hope whose century at the SSC proved a vain effort said that West Indies know what they need to do to win the next two games. “We are still in good stead despite the defeat. It’s not much to worry about. Yes, we lost we don’t want to lose any games in cricket but that’s how it goes sometimes,” said Hope who scored 115 out of West Indies total of 289.
“It’s a 3-match series and we have what we really need to do in front of us. We know that Sri Lanka is not going to let it happen so we are gonna make sure we put our best foot forward and make sure what we need to do to win the next two games.” (DN)