Former Sri Lanka pinch hitting icon, Master Blaster stepped into bat for Sri Lanka walking the talk as the Head Coach on the eve of Sri Lanka’s second ODI against Bangladesh tomorrow Saturday at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium on an euphoric vein of bringing the team from the brink of lost ways to coming close to making the top three in the ICC Team Rankings in a tremendous run of success since he took over the coaching reins starting with shocking high riding India last year to Australia in February this year sandwiched with formidable home series triumphs versus the West Indies, New Zealand and Zimbabwe.
The virtual creation of pinch hitting that has electrified the game today not only in the short formats but in test cricket as well when he held sway like a goliath, executing one of his most spellbinding strokes of cutting in a flash like a trunk off a tree the fastest of bowlers through gully for six, Jayasuriya faced the media on a triumphant note following his most recent conquest whipping up the ODI team to handing Bangladesh a sound beating by 67 runs in a dramatic game of cricket in turning the game from a defeatist 29 for 3 position to Bangladesh on 100 for 1 wicket chasing 245.
Jayasuriya identified the two crucial moments that swung the game Sri Lanka’s way after skipper Charith Asalanka’s century to Milan Rathnayake running out key batsman Najmul Hossain Shento when Bangladesh were cruising on 100 for 1 as well as the stunning diving catch by Janith Liyanage to send back Tanzid Hasan who was on a belligerent 62.
“Those were two extraordinary game changing performances for Sri Lanka to turning it on from a hopeless position,” the former great voiced in the role of Head Coach
Jayasuriya has certainly scored for Sri Lanka in his new role to turning on young talent to hitting the winning trail in staying with what he described as his one and only passion cricket which has continued to stay with him which he identified as the soul to his life in abhorring his political fling which he said he regretted.
“Cricket will remain my one and only successful passion in life and not that one politics which I now regret,” said the former champion batsman who tore bowling attacks apart in his hey-day to putting Sri Lanka on the world map which began with his 1996-97 Player of the Series Word Cup triumph when Sri Lanka took the rest of the cricket world by storm.
He was quick to voice that great progress had been made in a short period since he took over. Today, young players were beginning to gel into winning ways under a performing captain in Charith Asalanka who has shown the way with the bat.
“Coming from behind up to No.4 has been a success story and we look to go further up to No.3 in the World Team Rankings,” Jayasuriya enthused.
Jayasuriya said that tomorrow’s final eleven and whether bowling all-rounder Dunith Wellalage who has starred with the ball as a match winner at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium with his off spin from routing India last year would largely depend as to how the wicket would be on the morning of the match.
Jayasuriya also held out a word of advice to Bangladesh when asked by its media men as to his opinion what Bangladesh needed to do to come out of a bad period.
“Every country has undergone such a difficult period. Sri Lanka did so and other countries too. I believe that young up and coming Bangladesh players need to be given that much of confidence to perform instead of looking down on their performances.
To discourage them would be not good. What they need is the confidence factor from the management to go out and perform.”
Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s top scorer Tanzid Hasan responding to media particularly from Bangladesh in the pre-match confab, regretted that two outstanding performances by Sri Lanka had taken the game away from Bangladesh.