After 122-run loss to New Zealand, Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews feels the young team need to take responsibility and move on rather than reminisce over the retired greats
Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene
Dunedin: Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews believes it is time to stop talking of former batting greats Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara after a 122-run defeat in the first Test against New Zealand.
Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene
Since Jayawardene stepped down from Test cricket in 2014 and Sangakkara followed him into retirement earlier this year the Sri Lankans have struggled. Yesterday they lost the opening Test against New Zealand after winning the toss and bowling first on a green wicket in Dunedin.
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It was a harsh lesson for the new-look line-up with Kithuruwan Vithanage playing his ninth Test and Udara Jayasundera, Milinda Siriwardana, Kusal Mendis and Dushmantha Chameera having only nine Tests between them.
Jayawardene retired after 149 Tests in which he averaged 49.84 with the bat while the mercurial Sangakkara retired after scoring 12,400 runs at 57.40 in 134 Tests.
'Lost a lot of experience'
Skipper Mathews said that was a lot of experience to lose, but he believed the new brigade will develop into a quality side. "They showed a lot of guts, they didn't want to give up even though one played his debut and others were playing their second or third game," he said after the match.
Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews is bowled by New Zealand's Neil Wagner (left) at the University Oval in Dunedin yesterday. Pic/AFP
"The quality is there in the dressing room, it's just the mindset that needs to shift around. "We've always talked about not having Sangakkara and Mahela in the team. It's history and we've just to move on with it, take responsibility and try and score runs."
Both Mathews and his New Zealand counterpart Brendon McCullum agreed Sri Lanka had the upper hand when they won the toss and bowled first on a wicket ripe for seamers. In reply to New Zealand's first innings of 431, Sri Lanka were all out for 294. New Zealand declared their second innings at 267-3 and Sri Lanka found the 405-run target too much as they folded for 282.
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