Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka Captain) post-match Press Conference – 3rd June 2024
Reporter:]
What is Sri Lanka’s lowest total in T20 cricket? How disappointing is it to start the World Cup in this manner?
[Wanindu Hasaranga:]
This was not a good start. But this is early in the tournament, so we try to do our best in the next game and we have three more games left in the first-round. We have to do our best in the next three games.
[Reporter:]
What was the thinking behind batting first after winning the toss?
[Wanindu Hasaranga:]
We have a strong bowling attack. We wanted to put a good score and we just wanted to defend. So that’s why we made that decision.
[Reporter:]
The way the bowlers fought back defending a small total, you must be pretty pleased with the manner that they went about the things?
[Wanindu Hasaranga:]
Of course, you know, especially the fast bowlers, they bowled really well with the new ball. If he had 120 – 125 plus, I think this game will be changed.
[Reporter:]
We saw that the pitch had a lot of seam movement and uneven bounce. Do you think you could have played at least one higher release point bowler, maybe like Chameera, so that you get the maximum uneven bounce of seam movement out of the pitch?
[Wanindu Hasaranga:]
We went with Nuwan Tushara because he had played a few games in the IPL and Dushmantha didn’t play matches in IPL. Dushmantha didn’t play matches since last week,so that’s why we went with Nuwan Tushara – and he had five wickets in his last T20 international. So, we went with him. But still, you know, we saw the difference, you know, bounce and low bounce in the wickets still when we are bowling.
[Reporter:]
You had some challenges with the travel and then being far from the ground and you were not able to train. Does that kind of have an impact on the performance on the day?
[Wanindu Hasaranga:]
We can’t say that, but we had tough times, especially in the last few days. We still travel one and a half hours in the morning and we have our first round four games in four venues. It’s hard but we don’t know about the wicket set and this is our first game in New York and we have next game in Dallas, so we don’t know. We play two practice games in Florida, that’s the only plus point we have.
[Reporter:]
The way the pitch played, the two paced nature of it, did that surprise you?
[Wanindu Hasaranga:]
Yeah, especially in this big tournament. These wickets are very hard, especially in T20’s, and their bowlers bowled really well and our bowlers have bowled well as well. Still, we did a lot of mistakes.
