Be ruthless in the basics, Arthur implores

Sri Lanka’s bowlers need to be “ruthless on the basics” if they are to produce a series-clinching win against South Africa today, Head Coach Mickey Arthur said, hinting at the possibility of a shuffling of the deck in the bowling attack. 

After a close 14-run win in the series-opener last Thurday, Sri Lanka were comfortably beaten in the rain-shortened second ODI on Sunday, losing by 67 runs on the Duckworth/Lewis method. 

That was after South Africa had chalked up an imposing total of 283 for 6 in 47 overs, a target the hosts struggled to get ahead of after losing their first three wickets for 19 runs. 

He said the bowlers, and to some degree the bastmen, had abandoned what had previously worked for them. 

“Something that we have gone away from as a bowling unit, has been our ability, and I thought that was prevalent in our whole game, the other night. We went away from the things that we have to do well as a team,” Arthur said yesterday.

“Any emerging team has to be ruthless on the basics. Whether you are batting, or bowling or fielding, and I think we went away from that as a team the other night for some reason. I think a lot of our bowlers and our batsmen tried too many different things when they were under pressure instead of going back to their roots, going back to their core basics, which have worked for them. Our messaging around that today was around going back to your basics.”

Arthur commended his team for their work in preparing for the ODIs, saying that there was visible improvement among his charged. 

“The team have worked incredibly hard, the effort the boys have put in has been nothing short of exceptional. The guys are improving all the time, which for me is so heart warming when you start a project and you get some young players and you see them getting better and better. That makes it so rewarding and worthwhile. Yes we are really hoping we can pull it out tomorrow and we can get that elusive series win, because it will kick start this group so nicely, and give so much confidence going forward,” the South African also said. 

He hinted at a change in the team, to sharpened the bowling attack which had given away too many easy runs. 

“It was probably too easy for them to pick up their ones and twos, which didn't put them under any sort of pressure for an extended period of time, and we know that pressure gives us wickets. It is something we spoke about. In terms of defensive (bowling), we are trying to set up an attacking bowling line up, but obviously with the wicket not gripping and not turning enough, they have had to go into an almost defensive mode. Hopefully that changes for tomorrow, we might shake up our attack just a little and see what we can get out of them, by using maybe one or two different sorts of skills. Again, that's something that we have sat down and discussed. Das (Dasun Shanaka) and I have had a really good chat around it as well. We've done our planning on that. It's all just about the execution now. But we will try and take wickets because taking wickets for us, is the best of stopping the run rate,” Arthur said. 

With the series all-tied up at 1-1 victory today will carry with it valuable points in the ICC World Cup Super League for the eighth placed South Africans and the ninth placed Sri Lankans. 

A three-match T20I series will follow later this week after today’s final ODI.