Despite Sri Lanka losing the three match Test series to England with a game to spare, one player who has stood up and performed is fast bowler Asitha Fernando. The 27-year-old is the leading wicket taker in the series so far with 14 wickets to his name with Gus Atkinson (11) and Chris Woakes (10) behind him.
Asitha added eight wickets at Lord’s to the six he had claimed at Old Trafford and that included a five-wicket haul at the Home of Cricket.
“It’s a dream come true for me. Any bowler wants his name in the Honours Board at Lord’s. I always dreamed of it and tried hard that if I had the opportunity to bowl at Lord’s I would ensure I entered my name on that list. Very satisfying,” Asitha told journalists.
“Coming here and watching the Honours Board, I saw only Rumesh Ratnayake sir has done it. I was inspired to get my name there to become only the second Sri Lankan. Very happy that I was able to place my name amongst the legends. Rumesh sir actually sent a message congratulating me. Felt nice,” Asitha added.
Asitha has been primarily used by Sri Lanka for Test match cricket but in recent months, he has played a few white ball games. He seems to be enjoying bowling in England.
“In England bowlers have friendly wickets so you don’t have to make big changes. The ball does plenty here so the main thing is to stick to a good line and get your length right. That’s why I was successful,” Asitha explained.
Sri Lanka had England under the pump in both games, but the hosts found a way out as the tourists could not keep the pressure on for a long period of time. At Lords for example, England were struggling at 216 for six and then after tea on day one, the bowlers lost the plot.
“It happened to us in both Tests. We are discussing how we should plan with our bowling attack. In the second Test, we changed the plans by bowling them bouncers when the tail was building partnerships and that worked. Maybe that’s something that we should do at The Oval.”
England’s lone spinner Shoaib Bashir has been a threat rarely in this series but the seamers have put Sri Lanka under tremendous pressure.
“It’s their home condition and throughout the year they play with the Duke’s ball. We only play with it when we come to England. They know how to bowl with that ball and what we have to learn from them is their line and length and how they move the ball.”
“The Duke’s ball swings differently from the Kookaburra ball. Most of us are playing Test cricket in England for the first time and it takes time to adjust. The seam of the Duke’s ball is different from Kookaburra ball. It has been a good learning experience.”
 and Chris Woakes (10) behind him. ){kind=link}