Monday: As captain of the one-day side Upul Tharanga said that he would take the blame for Sri Lanka 5-0 loss to Pakistan in the five-match ODI series that concluded at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium yesterday with Sri Lanka losing the fifth match by nine wickets.
It was Sri Lanka’s 12th straight loss in ODIs and at the end of the series the team had more questions than answers on how to end the dismal run that is having an overall effect on the players as a group.
“From the South African series, as a team we are not settled. During the Indian series we failed to capitalize. As captain, I would like to take the blame for the defeat. All players need to take the blame,” said Tharanga at the post-match press conference.
“We have to score as a team. We can fail as batsmen two or three matches, but not all five games. For a team when the batters are not performing it is tough. I take the blame for the losses. The batsmen need to take a fair share of the blame as well.
“We couldn’t pass 200-run mark on three occasions this series. Same mistakes were repeated. Even here we had four wickets down in the first three overs and there was no coming back from thereon. The batting has been a worry in recent times and it was the same on this occasion. In the last 15 to 18 months we have struggled with our batting and that has been the main reason why we have come up with below par performances.
“We had lots of discussions. We have analysed what has to be done. What we have failed to do is to deliver in the middle. In this series, from the top seven batters only two batters have passed the 75-run mark and you not going to win matches by doing that,” he said.
Tharanga said that it is left to the selectors to decide whether they should continue with him as the captain of the one-day team when asked whether he would quit the captaincy.
“It’s the responsibility of the selectors and Sri Lanka Cricket. I don’t want to leave the team and go. SLC will decide who will take the team forward.”
Tharanga is one of the few players who have pulled out from travelling to Lahore to play Pakistan in the third T20I. He has been replaced by Thisara Perera as captain for the three-match series starting in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
“It was an individual decision. We chatted to 40 to 45 players and we didn’t force the players to go either way. Once SLC informed us that we are playing in Lahore, we made a request to change the venue. SLC told us that they are going ahead with the game. We had a chat and we decided to give the freedom to the players to decide individually. It is the choice of the players,” said Tharanga.
“Personally why I opted not to go was in 2009 I was in the team although I wasn’t present in Lahore that day. Just before that I was part of the ODI side that went to Lahore. After that 14 or 15 days later the shooting happened. Back of my mind the incident is there and that’s why I thought not to go. But if there’s an opportunity to tour in the future, I will consider. SLC chatted to us on the issue but no pressure was put on us. They understood the mental status of the players. There was no pressure whatsoever,” he said.
Pakistan cricketers celebrate the victory by walking around the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
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