Sri Lanka coach says team prepared for English challenge
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford said Wednesday his inexperienced team is likely to face a daunting mental challenge in England but the players are well prepared for it.
Sri Lanka left for England to play three test matches, five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 international. The team will also play two one-day games against Ireland.
Ford said the team had trained in Colombo on pitches similar to those they are likely to face in England and he is happy with the way players have adapted.
Sri Lankan cricket captain Angelo Mathews, center, coach Graham Ford, right, and chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya chat prior to the team's departure to England at Sri Lankan Cricket office in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, May 4, 2016. Sri Lankan cricket team is touring England for a cricket series beginning this month. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
"Of course, it is going to be a huge mental challenge for them. It is going to be about grinding out big hundreds," Ford said. "A lot of that comes from having done it, having the experience. So the batting group, it's going to be a challenge."
Ford said he was confident that his batsmen would be up to the challenge, adding that the bowling unit has also grown into a "very useful attack" in recent months.
Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews said that he and the team backed the selection committee's decision to keep batsman Lahiru Thirimanne despite a string of failures, trusting in his potential and technique.
"A slight mental shift in his approach can do wonders," Mathews said. "We are all backing. As the selection committee, as the captain of the team and the whole team is backing him to go out there and fire."
Sri Lanka Cricket said in a statement that Thirimanne will leave for Britain on Thursday because his late inclusion in the squad has resulted in a delay to obtain a visa to Ireland.
After two three-day practice games against county sides, Sri Lanka meets England in the first test at Headingly on May 19.
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Sri Lanka test squad
Angelo Mathews (captain), Dinesh Chandimal (vice-captain), Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Dhammika Prasad, Dilruwan Perera, Dimuth Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Lahiru Thirimanne, Milinda Siriwardana, Niroshan Dickwella, Nuwan Pradeep, Rangana Herath, Shaminda Eranga, Suranga Lakmal
Sri Lankan cricket captain Angelo Mathews, right, prepares to board the team bus prior to the team's departure to England outside Sri Lankan Cricket office in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, May 4, 2016. Sri Lankan cricket team is touring England for a cricket series beginning this month. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
Sri Lankan cricket team members hold a blessed thread as Buddhist monks bless them prior to the team's departure to England, at Sri Lankan Cricket office in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, May 4, 2016. Sri Lankan cricket team is touring England for a cricket series beginning this month. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
