7 October - Delhi - Sri Lanka player Sadeera Samarawickrama post-match press conference
Reporter]
South Africa scored 428 runs in the first innings. What did you think about our bowling performance, and what do you think went wrong?
[Samarawickrama]
Actually, it's difficult for us as a team to be happy with the bowling. Considering the pitch, it's really good. We rarely bowled consistently as a team. On a wicket like this, even a minor mistake from us can result in the opposing team scoring six or four runs. If we had bowled with more patience, we might have kept them to a lower score.
[Reporter]
What kind of discussion took place after conceding 428 runs? What did you guys talk about at the halfway point? Did you have small targets to achieve?
[Samarawickrama]
Yes, actually, it's because we can trust the wicket and play. If we had good momentum, we needed to maintain it. We actually lost by almost 100 runs. If we hadn't lost those few wickets in the middle overs, I believe we would have had a chance to come close to their score or even win the match.
[Reporter]
Did you feel a lot of pressure while trying to chase down 428 runs?
[Samarawickrama]
Actually, we are very happy that Kusal Mendis and especially Dasun Shanaka have returned to their usual rhythm. Also, the way Kusal Mendis and Charith Asalanka gave a lot of confidence to the batting unit of our team was great. When we're chasing such a big number, we don't have time to set up in the middle part. I think we always have to play positively. I think it's a significant achievement for us to have been able to play like that in these conditions.
[Reporter]
Llooking at Sri Lanka's recent performance in the World Cup Qualifier, Asia Cup, and LPL, we've often had low-scoring wickets. However, now we're on a flat pitch; has that led to a 428 score for the other team? Had bowlers played in this kind of situation before?
[Samarawickrama]
Certainly, it had a significant impact. In Sri Lanka, we've played a lot on turning wickets, so chasing such a big score isn't something we typically do. If we get wickets like this in Sri Lanka, the bowlers won't be surprised when we get to a place like this. So, I think we will see pitches like this in Sri Lanka too.
[Reporter]
In the previous days, even practice matches were continuously lost. Who do you think should be responsible for this? The coaches or the captain, or who in the team should take responsibility?
[Samarawickrama]
Accountability means none of us play to lose, and no one should be held accountable, in my opinion. We all play to win. There may be off days. We've won 14-15 matches in a row. So, if we look at the other side, we've won matches too. We've only lost three in a row now. We'll try to get back on a winning note after playing well in the next matches. Our team just needs a little momentum, and I think we can achieve what we want in the next match.
[Reporter]
Sadeera, we saw Mahela Jayawardene join as a coaching consultant with the team for this match; two days before I think he came to the join the team. How do you feel about his presence before this World Cup?
[Samarawickrama]
We like him to be in the team for us because he's a legend in this game so we can learn anything from him. So I think when he is back in the team we are really confident, so I think it is a good thing for the team.
[Reporter]
What was the chat like after you conceded some runs when you came down to chase? What was the chat in the dressing room? What was the chat like during the half-way mark?
[Samarawickrama]
We knew the wicket was getting better so I think as a team we just wanted momentum in the first few overs. I think we got the start we wanted. Unfortunately in the middle period we lost like one or two wickets regularly. I think that was the turning point. Otherwise, the wickets were really good. We can cover any time the run rate also, so I think the turning point was that we lost Kusal Mendis and myself in two overs. I think that was the turning point, I guess.
[Reporter]
Samarawickrama, we saw Mahela Jayawardene having a twenty to thirty-minute discussion with the batting team two days before this match. What did you discuss? That means moving forward in this tournament as a batting unit.
[Samarawickrama]
Actually, what we planned is not something that can be disclosed here. He basically reminded us that no matter how good the wicket is, we have to focus on the basics. We shouldn't aim for 350 or 400 runs right away. If we do the basic things right, we can score 300 or 350 runs on these wickets and similar grounds.
