Sri Lankan head coach Mickey Arthur has admitted that his side are definitely going to go for a win and that’s how he wants Sri Lanka to play their cricket. Moreover, he said that the fast bowlers will definitely have a burst but the head coach feels Wanindu Hasaranga will be the key if the hosts are to get close.
Sri Lanka have put themselves in a commanding position in this first Test match against Bangladesh at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. Despite conceding 541 runs in the first innings and taking only seven wickets, the Sri Lankan batters stood up and smashed their way to 512/3 at the end of day four.
Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne racked up his maiden Test double hundred and is unbeaten on 234 while Dhananjaya de Silva helped himself to an unbeaten knock of 154. Sri Lanka start the fifth day with a trail of just 29 runs.
With three sessions and 98 overs of play remaining, it may be a little tough to force a result. At this stage, a Bangladesh win looks highly unlikely while Sri Lanka are the ones who can really force the pace and go for the kill. That’s exactly how Mickey Arthur and the Sri Lankan team are thinking. The Sri Lankan head coach feels that the winning mentality is an important culture to inculcate in the dressing room.
We’re certainly thinking about winning. That’s how we want to play our cricket. That’s such an important culture to inculcate in a dressing room. We’re not here to make up the numbers. I said to the guys in the West Indies that first of all we want to be a team that’s hard to beat, before we become a winning team, because that’s kind of the cycle,
Mickey Arthur was quoted saying after the fourth day’s play.
There is no doubt that the Sri Lankan batsmen will go out on the attack and look to get some quick runs in the first session before having a crack with the ball. The bowlers toiled hard in the first innings and the spinners, in particular, didn’t have much to show for their effort. However, Arthur said that the fast bowlers will get a burst but it is the leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga who might play a crucial role.
There will be a burst from the fast bowlers with the new ball. But if we’re going to get close tomorrow, it’s going to be Wanindu Hasaranga that’s going to get us close. I don’t want to put too much pressure, I just think he’s such a fantastic player,
Arthur added.
