Sri Lanka coach accepts victory over Afghanistan was vital for his team

Next up is Pakistan in Bristol on Friday, a side who will be buoyant after their success against England earlier this week. And with that in mind, Chandika Hathurusingha emphasised how important this result really was

“We really needed a win”.

Sri Lanka coach Chandika Hathurusingha was brutally honest after watching his team bounce back from heavy defeat by New Zealand with a crucial World Cup victory over Afghanistan in Cardiff.

Sri Lanka had taken a battering at the hands of the Blackcaps on Saturday, and the 10-wicket loss was their ninth reverse in 10 completed one-day internationals, but they recovered to squeeze past the Afghans through the rain at Sophia Gardens.

Having collapsed from 92 without loss and then 144 for 1 to 201, they were thankful to Nuwan Pradeep and Lasith Malinga for demolishing the opposition batting line-up to complete a 34-run victory by Duckworth-Lewis method.

Next up is Pakistan in Bristol on Friday, who will be buoyant after their success against England earlier this week.

And with that in mind, Hathurusingha emphasised how important this result in south Wales really was.

^{Sri Lanka celebrate victory over Afghanistan}

“This will give us a lot of confidence. We really needed a win,” he said.

“We haven’t got much success lately. I am sure you will see a better approach from our team after this win. We needed this win badly.”

Sri Lankan cricket has been in a state of flux in recent months, with players routinely dropped and reselected, and defeats having worryingly become a habit.

“When you play for your country, there is a lot of pride at stake. They were all hurting, I am sure of that. They all want to play well for their country,” Hathurusingha said.

“All the players will get a lot of confidence after this win.”

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A second top-order wobble in the space of three days remains a major concern for the coach with Pakistan to come, though they will at least benefit from a much more batsman-friendly pitch in Bristol compared to the green-tinged nibbler in Cardiff.

Angelo Mathews was dismissed for a duck on Tuesday, while another senior member of the side, Kusal Mendis, followed his first-ball zero on Saturday with a two-ball two against Afghanistan.

“We all know they are experienced players and they will certainly learn from this,” Hathurusingha said.

“They need to understand what went on between their ears at that time. It’s all about trusting their defence at the start.

“I think if they get a start, especially Angelo and Mendis will score runs in this tournament.”

^{Sri Lanka struggled with the bat again}

Much has been made of the state of the wicket at Sophia Gardens - rebranded as the Cardiff Wales Stadium by the ICC for this tournament - with England due to take on tricky opposition in the shape of Bangladesh at the venue this weekend.

“The two pitches we’ve got here are not ideal for ODI cricket, for my mind,” Hathurusingha said.

“If you look at the other venues, the other wickets look a little more brown or white. This is too green a wicket.

“Hopefully we get better pitches to start (an innings on).”

Finally, there was praise from the Sri Lankan coach for today’s opposition.

“They are a very dangerous side, especially in a tournament like this,” he said.

“Time and time again they have proved they can be dangerous.”

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