Ahead of their six-match white-ball series against South Africa, Sri Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka said that throwdown specialists with the ability to rachet up speeds in excess of 145kmph with the sidearm could help Sri Lankan batsmen better prepare the South African pace attack.
“I have requested the services of at least two throwdown specialists who could generate express pace in order for us to counter pace generated by bowlers like Rabada and Nortje,” said Dasun, in an interview with the Sunday Times.
Dasun added, “This is a very important series and Preparation is the key. We are so used to batting against medium pacers, who bowl at 120kmph to 140kmph at the domestic level. However, the challenge is quite different at the international level with most of the bowling at an express pace. The only thing we can do is to replicate those situations at training and this is why I have made a request for at least two throwdown coaches. We need to prepare well at training.”
Dasun also had concerns with the firepower in the team. ‘We need good power-hitters who can clear the ropes at the death overs. So we need to do a specific training like range hitting and reverse sweeping to improve our ability to score runs at the death overs.”
Dasun says he has spoken to the coaching staff on their limitations and areas which need more focus. Dasun and the team is currently in training for the South Africa series which begins with the three-match ODI series on Thursday. It includes three T20 internationals, their last international assignment before heading to the UAE for the World T20 qualifiers.
“As I said earlier, both series are important to us, We need to start winning ODI matches to put ourselves in a good position in the ODI league in order to earn a direct qualification for the 2023 World Cup. On the other hand, this is our last series before the T20 World Cup and it’s important we head to UAE with a positive mind, Dasun said.
Commenting on the series, Dasun said Sri Lanka has a slight advantage over South Africa as it is minus some key players like David Miller, Quinton de Kock, and Lungi Ngidi for the ODI leg of the series. However, they are expected to join the team to play the T20 series. (With the inputs from Sunday Times)