Mickey Arthur is like a father to me, says Skipper Karunaratne | Daily News

Mickey Arthur is like a father to me, says Skipper Karunaratne

"Mickey Arthur, our head coach, is like a father to me; he was always there for me and the team, and I'm happy to hold a good farewell for him," said Sri Lanka Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne after a memorable West Indies series win at Galle yesterday.

"We are worried that our coach is leaving after this test series, but I wish him good luck for the future," added Karunaratne, who was leading from the front to claim the series win. This was a real team effort; bowlers, batsmen, and fielders did a good job to seal this win.

"The boys knew what to do in the conditions, especially Ramesh, Pathum, and Dhananjaya de Silva. Pathum was very confident and was rotating the strike as an opener, which is what I expected from him. Hopefully, he can convert his fifties into big scores. Oshada did a very hard job on the field. He was not scared. I want to lead from the front, and now I am looking forward to the next series against India," added Karunaratne. "I am personally happy with my batting performance, which I always expected for the team's success."

"I also want to give special thanks to the Galle ground staff. They did a tremendous duty during this match series and worked hard to prepare the ground as soon as possible; that is appreciated. Meanwhile, I will never forget our spectators and fans. After a long time, they came to encourage us during this hard period, and they made a good atmosphere to strengthen our team. Some were out of the boundary line, and some crowds were at the Galle Fort and made a much-needed atmosphere to the game," added skipper Karunaratne.

Meanwhile, the man of the match Dhananjaya de Silva said, "I was very keen to bat under pressure to build up the innings. A batsman can score when under pressure, and I enjoy it. I am working hard for these hundreds, and my father's blessings are on me. It was tough; the ball was turning when their spinners were bowling on good lines and lengths. We had to be safe, so we had to bat long. That was the plan. I want to mention coaches Mickey Arthur and Grant Flower for being with us especially during this hard period," said De Silva.

West Indies skipper Kreigg Brathwaite said, "It was not an easy start today on this pitch, so it was important to bat as well as possible. As batters, we needed to do it for longer periods. If we can do that, the team can be in a better position. We were able to restrict the Sri Lankan first innings to below 250. But their ninth wicket stand, between Dhananjaya de Silva and Lasith Embuldeniya in the second innings, put on a 124 runs stand and we let ourselves down. It was not an easy start on this pitch, especially in the fourth innings," said Brathwaite.


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