"I want to make sure there is hunger": Jayasuriya ahead of Sri Lanka's Test series against England
Aug 19, 2024
Manchester [UK], August 19 : Ahead of his side's three-match Test series against England, Sri Lanka interim head coach Sanath Jayasuriya said that he wants to make sure there's the hunger to win games inside the players.
The first Test match will be starting from Wednesday and will go on till Sunday.
Speaking ahead of the first Test match, Jayasuriya said that they won't easily get an opportunity to play against England in a three-match Test series.
Sri Lanka's interim head coach accepted that scoring runs in England will be challenging since the wicket is flat.
"I want to make sure there is that hunger. Playing three Tests like this is not an opportunity you will get easily again. So we have to take it while we can. Scoring runs here is challenging, because even if the pitches are flat, the ball can still start swinging, or seaming. We have to know how to adjust to that," Jayasuriya was quoted by ICC as saying.
He added that the players know that they have to play on challenging wickets in the Test series against England.
"We have the personnel there, but we need to fight hard. If you play six or seven batters, only two or three will perform for sure. If they get a start they need to play big innings. They know they have that responsibility on challenging wickets. Everyone should play their natural game, but once you get that start, there are places where you need to break things down a little, and either bat quickly, or slow down for a bit," he added.
The second match of the series will be played at Lord's, starting from August 29. Meanwhile, the final Test match of the series will take place at Kennington Oval on September 6.
England are coming to play against Sri Lanka after a 3-0 series sweep against the Windies to move up to 6th place in the World Test Championship standings and will be keen to keep that momentum going against Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka squad: Dhananjaya de Silva (C), Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (VC), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Nisala Tharaka, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Jeffrey Vandersay, Milan Rathnayake.
