Scraping through off-field scares, the Sri Lanka U19 cricket team has now got to find the best batting combination, the team’s coach Hashan Tillakaratne and Manager Farveez Maharoof pointed out.
“I think, batting in the middle-over. We did not get big scores. From 11-40, we used to get wickets in the middle overs. But that did not happen in Bangladesh,” he told the Sunday Observer, prior to the team’s departure for the tri-series against West Indies and England.
Maharoof, too, shedding the spotlight on batting, conceded that it had been the let-down in the most recent period.
“I think, if you look at the last series, especially against Bangladesh, the batting let us down. Players did get starts but could not go on for a big score. That was the biggest downfall. We have addressed that. We have made a couple of changes when it comes to the batting order. Hopefully, things will become good,” he said. Captain Nipun Dananjaya said: “This is the last outing before the (U-19) World Cup. We need to perform well and get our confidence quickly, so this is the opportunity and we need to create it perfectly.
“I think the boys are in good shape and very confident because we have had practice sessions and matches against the Nondescript Cricket Club.”
The U19 road to the next year’s World Cup fell short of a smooth sail with some U-19 members denied and then granted a visa in the eleventh-hour.
Maharoof, rated their bowling as been quite decent, though the batting has been disappointing.
“That is definitely something we will keep an eye on,” he said.
During the Under-19 Asia Cup in Colombo three Sri Lanka players were caught red handed misbehaving at their team hotel following complaints made by other guests and discipline has been another matter the team management has taken serious note of.
“We have got some strong protocols in the set-up now since the Asia Cup. We just have to keep the discipline maintenance level high and hopefully performance will take the lead,” said Maharoof concluded.
The Sri Lankans open their quest against host West Indies on Tuesday.