adminCHRISTCHURCH. — Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has demanded an immediate end to the losing habit that has infected his side in the lead up to today’s Cricket World Cup opener against New Zealand in Christchurch.
The “fighting spirit” was not there he said yesterday as he reviewed a disappointing build up to cricket’s premier ODI tournament.
Despite leading a side stacked with high performers, Mathews has seen his side crash to a 4-2 series defeat against New Zealand last month and then lose two World Cup warm-up games against South Africa and Zimbabwe.
They were performances far removed from previous Sri Lankan sides that won the 1996 World Cup and were runners up in the last two tournaments in 2007 and 2011.
“In the recent past, especially in New Zealand, we’ve found ways of losing games more than winning games and I think our late middle order haven’t produced good results for us,” he said.
“We had a couple of bad practice matches as well, but we’re not too concerned (about them) because we gave guys opportunities and we tried out a few things.” — AFP.
Online Reporter