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Sri Lanka head coach Chris Silverwood has revealed that he asked for a flat surface and was glad that the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board had taken his suggestion.
During the ongoing three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, Sri Lanka registered remarkable 42 and 155 runs victories in the first and the second ODI respectively. The pitch was a bit flatter than the one that is traditionally curated in Sri Lanka. In both ODIs, Sri Lanka batted first and posted a total of 381 and 308, which was a rare occasion when the team batting first scored more than 300 runs in two consecutive games. On the eve of the third ODI against Afghanistan, Silverwood revealed that their game is better suited to such wickets. "If we just look at 50-over cricket for the moment, our game plan is better suited to good wickets. I asked for flat wickets and thankfully I got the support in that from the powers that be," Silverwood said, according to ESPNcricinfo. "For how we want to play our cricket, the nature of how we want to play it, then we need good wickets to do that. And to also allow players the opportunity to galvanise that game plan through the fact that you can go out and do it time and time again. Slow, low wickets don't suit us to do that," Silverwood added. In the second ODI, star spinner Wanindu Hasaranga soared high by claiming four wickets, Asitha Fernando was impressive in his own right. In his first ODI in over a year, Fernando picked two wickets in his six-over spell and gave away 23 runs. Both of his wickets came when Sri Lanka needed to break the two crucial partnerships. Silverwood sang praises of the pacer and said he certainly put his best foot forward in the last game. "The way he turned up on short notice, and the way he performed was fantastic. The skills that he's got - what he showed us during the Test match - lend themselves very well to one-day cricket as well. The way that he can hit length hard time and time again, the lines that he bowls are very tight, and he's got a very accurate bouncer." (ANI)
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