2017 ICC Champions Trophy: Sri Lanka Missing Angelo Mathews Badly – Coach Graham Ford

Nov 2, 2023 at 3:46 PM

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2017 ICC Champions Trophy: Sri Lanka Missing Angelo Mathews Badly – Coach Graham Ford

Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford feels the absence of skipper Angelo Matthews for a prolonged time in the recent past has hurt the team very badly. Matthews hasn’t played ODI cricket since August last year and is away from all forms of cricket since January after suffering a series of calf and quadriceps injuries.

In all, the Sri Lankan captain has played only two Tests and two T20Is in 2017. This unavailability has made the team struggle badly. The Lankan side is currently going through a transition phase after the retirement of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene. The young names have shown great promise but are yet to plant their foot properly.

“When you lose Sanga [Kumar Sangakkara] and Mahela [Jayawardene] and then Angelo is out for most of the year, that leaves us with a very inexperienced side. He is the cool guy we have and not having him in the side has been a big drawback,” Ford noted.

Matthews entered the Champions Trophy with injury concerns which became real after he was forced to miss the opening fixture against South Africa last Saturday due to a calf strain. He is fortunately set to return for the crucial encounter against India at the Oval.

“Up until 60 overs we were pretty impressive and then we found ways to lose wickets. We had got a decent partnership going earlier on and then the run out of Dinesh Chandimal was crucial. We were winning the game at that stage and we needed just one partnership to take it deeper and we probably would have had a pretty close game at our hand. It was very disappointing given the way we played to lose that game,” Ford said.

Sri Lanka is the second lowest ranked side in the Champions Trophy after Pakistan after slipped to the No.7 position following the rise of Bangladesh to the No.6th position. India, on the other hand, is the second-ranked team in the ODIs at the moment. The decline has largely been due to the absence of experience. This fact was evident during the tournament opener against South Africa where they lost the game after a steady start.

“We are ranked seventh at the moment. India is a side that is ranked higher than us and we need to be at our best. Some of our lads are inexperienced when you consider the number of ODI cricket they have played. The big moments have been slipping away from us and we need to take control of that,” he added.

But, amidst all the uncertainties, Sri Lanka can pat themselves on the back for improved fielding. Just like any other Asian team, the Lankan has been traditionally criticised for their poor fielding. Things looked absolutely weird during the bilateral series against Bangladesh three months ago. However, since then there has been a turnaround in Sri Lanka Cricket.

Nic Potha, the Sri Lanka ‘A’ team and Under-19 side fielding coach, was asked to join the senior team and the result was quickly visible.

“All credit to the boys. They have taken on the project of improving the fielding for a while now. They have put in lot of hard work. The attitude has been brilliant. Nic Pothas needs to take lot of credit for he has taken the challenge of improving it and getting the attitude right to improve fielding. I am proud of their performances in the field and that’s a big positive.

“Nic makes fielding interesting and makes it fun. It’s not punishment or anything. He has said let’s not worry about quantity but quality. Every session is about quality work and touch wood it’s paying off,” Ford said.

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