BANGLADESH TOUR OF SRI LANKA, 2025
Kusal Mendis had a positive chat with batting coach and head coach before showing great improvement in the third ODI © AFP
Sri Lanka’s in-form batter Kusal Mendis said on Tuesday that a healthy atmosphere in the dressing room has helped the team perform consistently in recent times. Mendis scored a brilliant hundred to help Sri Lanka seal the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh, as they defeated the visitors by 99 runs in Dambulla.
Sri Lanka have now won eight of their last nine ODI series, and Mendis credited stand-in skipper Charith Asalanka and the backroom staff, led by Sanath Jayasuriya, for creating a calm and supportive environment. Kusal, who hit a breezy 124, said he had learned from his previous outing, where he blamed himself for throwing away his wicket after scoring a quick 56 off 31 balls.
“After I got out [in the second ODI] is when I realized that the decision I took was wrong, it was not an easy wicket and I was the set batter and should have continued batting – that is reason for our defeat. The head coach and batting coach spoke to me and said that when I am in the runs, I should go for a big score. My rhythm from the last match and today was different and I mixed caution with aggression,” Mendis said.
“We(Batting coach Thilina Kandamby) spoke a lot about that. When I was batting in the nets also he always kept reminding me that when you get set to go for a big score not to throw away the wicket after getting to 50-60. He had high expectations from me for this match and I am happy that I was able to fulfill it,” he added.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan said that his team paid the price for not building partnerships in the series-deciding third ODI. Kusal and Charith Asalanka (58) laid the foundation for a strong total with a 124-run stand for the fourth wicket for Sri Lanka. Bangladesh, in contrast, kept losing wickets at regular intervals and were bowled out for 186 in 39.4 overs.
“They had a big partnership after they lost three wickets for 100 runs. Middle overs partnerships are important. We got thirties or forties, but winning is hard with these partnerships in ODI cricket,” Mehidy opined. “We lost back-to-back wickets, which put us in trouble.”
“It was a good wicket. Two of their batters did well. We couldn’t put them under pressure, especially the way Kusal Mendis batted,” he added.
Mehidy also felt that his wicket at a crucial stage put pressure on his side shifted the momentum away from Bangladesh. “My dismissal put the team under pressure. I tried to take a calculated risk, but I couldn’t execute that shot properly. If I had, it would have gone for six,” he said. “When I was batting with [Towhid] Hridoy, we nearly grabbed the momentum. Then I got out playing a shot.”
Mehidy also defended Hridoy who batted at a sedate pace (51 off 78), insisting that regular fall of wickets prevented him from hitting the next gear.
“He could have batted at a faster rate, but he couldn’t do it as we kept losing wickets. I won’t blame him for the defeat. It is hard for a batter to bat in this type of situation,” he said. Mehidy also expressed concern at the fact that his team couldn’t bat the full quota of 50 overs.
“It is a concern for the team that we couldn’t bat 50 overs. Our middle-order batters have more responsibilities. We have a lot of room for improvement. We have a lot of cricket in front of us. I will look at the lacking in my team,” Mehidy said.
© Cricbuzz
