Upul Tharanga expects to be batting down in the low middle order again at The Oval on Wednesday, as Sri Lanka bid to battle back from 1-0 down with two to play.
Tharanga has an impressive ODI record against England, with 674 runs, including three hundreds, in 14 matches at an average of nearly 57 compared to the career average of 33. He remains extremely confident of continuing his good form against England’s bowlers too, “I have played 14 matches against England and I am lucky against them,” he said.
As for his position in the order, he is happy to be adaptable and serve Sri Lanka wherever he is most needed, “Playing at number seven is not new to me. I’ve done it before, for 10-15 games, in Australia and Sri Lanka. Most of the time I have played as a top-order batsman, but I am enjoying it.” Tharanga said prior to the 4th ODI at The Kia Oval in London.
The Sri Lankan top three have only 72 ODI caps in combine with 56 of those belong to Kusal Janith Perera whereas Tharanga is a veteran of 185 ODIs with 156 games as an opener.
Tharanga added: “It is up to the management, but they need this from me. They need me to bat in the middle order, so I’m happy with that. We have lots of new players and we [need some] experience.I’m just happy to be here and doing something for the country.”
“We just need a big score, Players are getting 40 or 50, and we are getting 240 to 260. As a batting side, some of the top four needs to get a big score – get that, and I think we can get 300.” He said.
Tharanga still hopes Sri Lanka could make a comeback and win the series, “There are still two ODIs left, and we are looking forward to winning those games and the series,” he further stated.
