December 10, 2024: Sri Lanka’s head coach Sanath Jayasuriya has provided a candid assessment of his side’s 109-run defeat to South Africa in the second Test, which sealed a 2-0 series whitewash. Despite the loss, Jayasuriya acknowledged that Sri Lanka had fought hard, staying in contention until the final day of the match, though he pointed out a critical area where improvement is needed: the batters.
Jayasuriya emphasized the importance of converting good starts into big scores. He noted that while getting to 30s and 40s was a positive, Sri Lanka’s batters need to push on and score centuries, especially in challenging conditions abroad. “Batsmen have to convert their scores into hundreds. It’s tough on these wickets, but at least two batters have to score hundreds on a tour like this. We didn’t get that. All we got were two 80s,” he said. This comment underlines a consistent issue in Sri Lanka’s batting: a lack of big centuries, which are often game-changers in Test cricket.
The defeat also dashed Sri Lanka’s hopes of securing a spot in the World Test Championship final at Lord’s next year, and Jayasuriya acknowledged that the failure to convert starts into substantial innings was a major miss. He also alluded to the lessons learned from recent tours, such as the one to England, where the value of hundreds is more apparent.
Despite the loss, Jayasuriya took the opportunity to praise Kamindu Mendis, who, though not able to score heavily in this series, has been a consistent performer for Sri Lanka in the longer format. “Kamindu Mendis is a key player. In every Test match almost he was in the runs, aside from this series. If you saw the way he batted in this series, it was still with a lot of confidence,” he said. This highlights Mendis’ importance to the Sri Lankan middle order and the potential he brings to the team.
Looking ahead, Sri Lanka will face Australia for a two-Test series in January, and Jayasuriya will hope his batters can learn from this defeat and show better application in the upcoming challenges. The focus will certainly be on developing the ability to score big hundreds and build partnerships, which will be crucial for Sri Lanka’s success in the future.