Sri Lanka ‘A’ signed off a near-flawless campaign this week, outplaying New Zealand ‘A’ with the assurance of a side batting on a different pitch. The islanders not only completed a 3-0 whitewash in the limited-overs leg, but also sealed the unofficial Test series 1-0, wrapping up the second game in Galle by an innings before lunch on day four, a result that underlined skill and depth.
It was Ashan Priyanjan’s first assignment as Head Coach of Sri Lanka ‘A’, and the former international came away convinced that several players are no longer knocking politely but banging the door down for national honours.
“There are several of them who stood up when the chips were down,” Priyanjan told The Island. “I feel each one of them is ready to step up to the senior side and deliver.”
Sri Lanka ‘A’ were made to earn their stripes. Throughout the one-day series, they found themselves in tight corners but refused to throw in the towel. Even with the series in the bag, there was no easing off the accelerator. In the third ODI, a dead rubber on paper, they chased down 303 with more than three overs to spare.
The second game had already set the tone. A muscular 368 for nine was posted, with several young batsmen cashing in once they got their eye in, showing the kind of appetite selectors crave.
“Our plan was simple, keep churning out 300-plus totals,” Priyanjan said. “The Powerplay wasn’t our issue. It was the middle overs, between the 11th and 40th, where we had been losing momentum. We addressed that and the results followed.”
Flat decks offered value for shots, but they also demanded sharper thinking from the bowlers, a test Priyanjan believes his attack passed with distinction.
“When you play on good batting surfaces, bowlers have to go back to the drawing board,” he noted. “It was a proper workout, a learning curve and a necessary one.”
The red-ball leg provided its own narrative arc. After the opening unofficial Test in Suriyawewa petered out into a draw, Sri Lanka ‘A’ hit back hard in Galle. Top-order batter Kamil Mishara compiled a fluent 174 at better than a run a ball, while left-arm spinner Dilum Sudeera ran through the visitors with a ten-wicket match bag, a performance that turned the game on its head.
“Our bowlers learned the art of containment in Suriyawewa when the opposition got on top,” Priyanjan said. “That experience helped them in Galle. And it’s encouraging to see batters hungry for big hundreds, that’s the currency at the highest level.”
Fielding, often the poor cousin in development squads, was another box ticked emphatically. Priyanjan was quick to credit improved fitness levels for sharper work in the ring and on the boundary.
“Our fitness standards were high, and that reflected in the fielding,” he said. “The players have put in the hard yards, full credit to them.”
With India ‘A’ due in Sri Lanka in June before a tour of Ireland, the nation’s young cricketers have been kept busy.
by Rex Clementine
from The Island https://ift.tt/ADGNWag
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