9 November - Bengaluru - Sri Lanka Head Coach Chris Silverwood post-match press conference
[Reporter:]
Nine games, seven losses for Sri Lanka. Do you think inconsistency and lack of skill is one of the two of the main reasons for Sri Lanka's disastrous campaign?
[Chris Silverwood:]
I think inconsistency. I think it would be fair to use that word. I think we've played some good cricket along the way, and I think we'll look back on certain games and rue missed opportunities, to be honest. There has been certain games during this campaign that if we'd have taken the opportunities that were put our way, this could have looked a lot different. But the fact is that we have been inconsistent and it's something that we've been working on for a long time and something we need to continue working on. So, yeah, I think inconsistent is a word we can use.
[Reporter:]
Batting again has been collapsing for a long time now. What do you think happened today? The conditions were really good and the ball is coming through nicely. What do you think happened today, especially?
[Chris Silverwood:]
Listen, it's a tough one. As you say, it’s happened a couple of times now, a few times. And it's something that certainly during the debrief, when we get back and when we dissect what's happened in this tournament, it's something that we have to look at and we have to find some answers because clearly, we need to start putting runs on the board on good wickets and putting other teams under pressure. And we haven't done that.
[Reporter:]
Batting and bowling obviously are reactive skills, but how frustrating is it that the catches that have gone down, the number of catches that have gone down throughout the tournament?
[Chris Silverwood:]
Yeah, it's frustrating because I mean certain catches that we've put down during this tournament have cost us heavily. It's again something that we're constantly working on. Our fielding coach is constantly working on that and trying to obviously push the standards higher. But clearly there's still work to be done as well. I mean, we are getting ourselves in positions where there's more catches coming our way. We've been brave and going for half chances more, but clearly, we have to start hanging on to these if we want to start turning games in our favour.
[Reporter:]
What can Sri Lanka draw from this tournament? Besides the struggles, obviously the Champions Trophy place is also a bit of doubt there. What is there to look forward to in terms of, you know, improving?
[Chris Silverwood:]
I think there's always something to look forward to. I think what we have to do now is, obviously, let the emotions settle a little bit. And then, as I said earlier, have a good debrief, dissect what's happened and have a look at what we can learn from this and what we can take into the next phase, the next chapter leading into the next World Cup, and how do we put things right that we got wrong this time. What do we need to put in place at home. What structure do we need to put in place and just really plan a proper plan leading to the next cycle to make sure that when we arrive at that cycle, we have everybody on the path, we have everybody available and we can put our best foot forward.
[Reporter:]
It wasn't that long ago that Sri Lanka was consistently getting into semifinals and finals in major global tournaments. Obviously, that's a few years ago. And it's kind of been said by quite a few people, and I suspect it will be said again after this campaign, that perhaps Sri Lanka is on a terminal decline, I know that you haven't been around for that long, but there's also, you know, there's been news from home about changes in administration and a little bit of chaos there. What does it feel like to you on the inside? I guess like people saying that Sri Lanka cricket has been heading downhill for a while.
[Chris Silverwood:]
Well, I mean, obviously this campaign has been disappointing for us, but if we look at previous campaigns before that, I've been involved in, certainly the win percentage has gone up. When it comes to obviously what's happening back home at the moment, being an outsider, the politics of Sri Lanka is not really my business, So I will respectfully decline to go into those areas. I think what we've tried to do here is try and keep a camp together, keep focused on what we've been trying to do and obviously try and win here. That's the best we can do.
[Reporter:]
How much pressure that this campaign has put on you and the rest of the coaching staff?
Every big campaign comes with its pressure, doesn't it? What you have to do is try and plan best you can, try and prepare the players the best you can. And other than that, there's not a lot else you can do. So that's what we've done. We've tried to stick to the process. We have a good game plan in place that has worked for us in various campaigns. And we've got to keep believing, really. Again, during practice sessions here, we've done the best we can to prepare. But unfortunately, that inconsistency has followed us onto the field. We've had results that at times could have gone our way had we taken the opportunities. So, there's pressure in every campaign. There's not a lot you can do about that.
[Reporter:]
Now with the T20 World Cup scheduled next year, you said about having a plan for the next 50-over World Cup, which is in four years' time. So, and it was mentioned earlier as well, before, in the meantime, preparing for this 2020 World Cup, we had two T20 World Cups in between. So, you had to prepare for that as well. So now when you plan for a four-year period for a 50-over World Cup, having a T20 World Cup in the middle, how does it affect the planning of a 50-over World Cup?
[Chris Silverwood:]
I don't think it does. I think you constantly have to plan for both because there's two forms of cricket, your T20 and your 50 overs are going to be there anyway. So, there's a long-term plan, obviously, over four years to make sure we arrive in the next World Cup in the best possible position we could be. But at the same time, you have to plan for the T20 World Cup as well. And the one thing we have got and what we have done is show we are very capable of competing in T20 cricket. So again, we have to make sure we plan properly and prepare properly. So, we have got our best players available to us come that time. And that's the key thing for us, is to make sure that our best players are available come the start of that competition and that the best players are informed.
[Reporter:]
From your point of view, what are the best positives Sri Lanka can take back home?
[Chris Silverwood:]
Yeah, as I said earlier, I think we have to let the emotions settle at the moment. But I think what we have to do is, as I explained before, is we have to dissect this. We have to have a very good debrief and dig deep into what has worked and what hasn't worked and then try and plan that way forward obviously for the next cycle. And I think they're the positives that we need to take from this now, is how do we best prepare the boys and the generations that are coming through to actually compete in the next World Cup and make sure that come that World Cup that we are competing and we're ready. And as I say, we have all our best players available.
