Sri Lanka skipper Kusal Mendis admitted it was hard to not think about the 302-run thrashing to India in the last match but wants his team to put that disappointment behind ahead of Monday’s clash against Bangladesh.
“When we actually talk about the previous match, I feel very sad about it,” Mendis said here on Sunday. “That’s why it is hard for us to stay thinking about that previous match. We still have two more matches in this tournament.”
The 28-year-old expressed hope as he looks ahead to the last two matches of the campaign.
“We have identified our shortcomings as a team, and now our focus is on the upcoming matches,” he added.
“We want to forget about that match as soon as possible. But it is not a match that can be easily forgotten. We should always try to prepare ourselves for the next two matches without thinking about that match,” explained Mendis while speaking about the psychological impact of the last match.
Mendis is happy with the way left-arm seamer Dilshan Madushanka and batter Sadeera Samarawickrama have fared. “Dilshan Madushanka has been performing exceptionally well, particularly in his bowling,” he said. “His standout performance in the Asia Cup 20-20 is noteworthy. It is really good that a fast bowler comes to India and bowls well like that.
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“Similarly, Sadeera Samarawickrama has showcased his talents, although he didn’t have much playing time due to his absence from the team for the past three-four years. He has an idea of what his role is. I am very happy that he is doing it that way.”
Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha said the team was disappointed with its campaign and asked for introspection. “I take responsibility as well as anyone in the group,” he said.
“We didn’t play our best cricket but the thing is nothing has changed from the first game to now. Only [what] has changed is what’s going through between our ears.
“Our skills haven’t gone anywhere. So, I think we put ourselves down by having high expectations. We haven’t played our best cricket or what we were capable of or we played before coming into the World Cup. So, in that sense, we need to look in the mirror and see what went wrong,” he concluded.
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