Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews has stated the 3-0 whitewash against South Africa is his worst series defeat since he became the side’s captain. On the third day, Protea bowlers wreaked havoc to thrash visitors by an innings and 118 runs in the third and final Test at Johannesburg.
“I have been part of many defeats but as captain this is certainly the worst. We kind of expected to do better than what we did. But there was no improvement,” Mathews was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
On a pace-friendly wicket, the visitors were bundled out on 131 followed by 177. South Africa moved to third place in the ICC Test Rankings after the remarkable performance at home against the Lankan Tigers.
“The batters were extremely disappointing – all the batters, including myself. All of us had got starts but didn’t convert them into big ones. That is disappointing. To give the bowlers a chance we need to put the runs on the board,” Mathews said.
While discussing about the previous performances, the 29-year-old Mathews, who remained the top-scorer with 178 in the series, has urged that they’ve to win in overseas conditions to become the best team in the world.
“All teams want to win, so you use home advantage to win games. Teams come to the subcontinent and they struggle. We beat Australia 3-0, but we need to find a way to win overseas as well. Maybe we need to play with more grass on our wickets at home,” Mathews added.
However, South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis reiterated that his team will give hundred percent to be back at the number one position in the ICC Test Rankings.
“We did our best by preparing pitches in Sri Lanka with lots of grass, but unfortunately we couldn’t handle it. We also prepared by practising on bouncy surfaces.”
After dodging the question over home teams being boosted by their pitches, the all-rounder Mathews has hinted that they might play domestic leagues with the tinge of green to prepare for overseas series’ in future.
“Only three of our guys have played in South Africa before. We need to give these young players a chance. It is not easy to play in these conditions against four seamers of this calibre,” he added.
“When it comes to preparation we did our best. We practiced on wickets with grass back in Sri Lanka too,” Mathews concluded.