Sri Lanka T-20 captain Dinesh Chandimal admitted his side misread the conditions in Dubai ahead of the first T-20 International against Pakistan on Wednesday which Sri Lanka lost by three wickets and five balls to spare.
The Sri Lankans had hoped that a total of 140 would be a match winning one based on their previous experiences of Dubai, but after the game Chandimal felt that his side should have gone onto score 160. Sri Lanka ended up with 145 for five in their 20 overs with Angelo Mathews leading the way with a half-century that came off 34 deliveries with five fours and a six.
“In the last year this pitch has been really slow, but this time the ball was coming nicely on to the bat. I think we were about 10-15 runs short. After that, our bowlers didn’t bowl in the right areas and we gave away some 10-20 runs. Our fielding was also below par. That’s why I think we lost the game,” Chandimal told journalists.
“After about 10 overs, the dew factor came into play. Then our spinners couldn’t grip the ball. At that time, we couldn’t bowl really well, and also the ball came onto the bat really well after 10 overs. The dew factor also contributed to us losing the game,” Chandimal explained.
“We came to the ground on the previous night to check the dew, but last night there was no dew. We had a game plan, which was to bat first because they have some good bowlers, and we wanted to put the runs on the board and put pressure on them. In the end Shahid Afridi played a good cameo role. His innings was the turning point,” Chandimal went onto add.
Pakistan skipper Mohammad Hafeez was pleased with his side’s effort. “We were expecting the same total. We were thinking if we can restrict them under 150 or 140, we would have a good chance because we’ve got a good batting unit, and also all-rounders like Shahid Afridi, Bilawal Bhatti and Sohail Tanvir can give us more strength in our lower order. Once we restricted them to the 140s, we knew we could do it. We were very confident we could chase it. The way Shahid Afridi finished the game was pleasing to see.”
Hafeez said Pakistan are having one eye on the World T-20 next March. The second T-20 International between these teams will be played on Friday at the same venue. “The mega-event is about to come, so that’s why we tried some of the new guys – Bilawal Bhatti, Sohaib Maqsood and Sharjeel Khan. We are planning for the World Twenty20, and what we wanted was for seniors and juniors to play together. Going into the mega-event, the juniors will get a little bit of feel of international cricket, and they are performing very well and showing great character. At the same time the seniors are playing their role. We are happy with the momentum we are getting.”
