Sri Lanka\u2019s recent international assignment saw them beat India 2-1 in a bilateral ODI series for the first time in 27 years at home. But their next international series, starting on August 21, puts them up against an England Test side, who recently beat West Indies 3-0.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThat was Sri Lanka playing like no other side has done in history. We had an identity, people knew the way that Sri Lankan cricketers played the game and teams wanted to emulate that. I don\u2019t think we have that at the moment,\u201d said de Silva to inews.co.uk.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Apart from de Silva himself, Sri Lanka used to boast of heavy run-makers like Mahela Jayawardene, Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara in their line-up till mid 2010s. But once the batting stalwarts retired, Sri Lanka haven\u2019t got a belligerent batter since then.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
De Silva thinks Sri Lanka batters should look to how England have fared with their attacking approach in Tests. \u201cI\u2019m enjoying the way that England are playing their cricket at the moment. They\u2019re playing very, very attacking cricket \u2013 whether they\u2019re bowling or batting, England are taking a really positive approach and it\u2019s paying off. Winning in England is hard. But it\u2019s certainly not impossible.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Mickey Arthur, who worked as Sri Lanka\u2019s head coach from 2019 to 2021, thinks current Sri Lanka team are a victim of their own past success. \u201cThey\u2019re gifted cricketers, exciting cricketers. \u201cThere are so many ways and techniques among Sri Lankan cricketers that would get coached out in the western world. As a coach, you need to think outside the box.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cYou need to maintain what makes those players so special but try and make those techniques a little more solid at the same time. I think Sri Lanka were really a victim of their own success. They had such a settled side, with so many incredible players, that it was always going to be very difficult to move on once those guys had retired.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI suppose that what we\u2019ve seen since, has been inevitable to a certain extent. What the players strive for in Sri Lanka is consistency. That\u2019s consistency in the way they\u2019re coached, consistency in selection and consistency in the environment around them. Once you get that, then you\u2019ll get the best out of the player,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Arthur signed off by saying what Sri Lanka needs now is backing their game to succeed in Test cricket, for which he still sees passion in the country. \u201cThere are some non-negotiables in Test cricket and that\u2019s having a technique you can trust, and having a technique that will stand up under pressure. Once you\u2019ve got that, they can play in their own way. I always said to them that I wanted to give them the roots to grow and the wings to fly.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThe wings to fly, is all about playing with your own technique in your own way and with your own character. If you look throughout history, then you\u2019ll struggle to find any country\u2019s cricketers who have done this as well as Sri Lanka\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Arthur signed off by saying what Sri Lanka needs now is backing their game to succeed in Test cricket, for which he still sees passion in the country. \u201cThere are some non-negotiables in Test cricket and that\u2019s having a technique you can trust, and having a technique that will stand up under pressure. Once you\u2019ve got that, they can play in their own way. I always said to them that I wanted to give them the roots to grow and the wings to fly.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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