Asia Cup 2016: Defeats Are Damaging Sri Lankan Team's Morale, Says Angelo Mathews
Sri Lanka slumped to their second straight defeat in the tournament after losing to India by five wickets on Tuesday. The Lankans beat UAE in their first match but lost to hosts Bangladesh in their second.
- Press Trust of India
- Updated: March 02, 2016 04:37 PM IST
Sri Lanka's stand-in captain Angelo Mathews made no bones about the fact that the string of defeats in the ongoing Asia Cup Twenty20 have had a "damaging" effect on their morale ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 in India starting next week. (Kohli, Yuvraj Singh Guide India to Asia Cup Final)
Sri Lanka slumped to their second straight defeat in the tournament after losing to India by five wickets on Tuesday. The Lankans beat UAE in their first match but lost to hosts Bangladesh in their second.
"It's quite damaging, especially for the confidence level and the morale. You can't keep losing, it's difficult to digest. We haven't played our best yet and the most worrying thing is that we haven't clicked as a batting order. So close to the World T20, we have to connect the dots together and maybe try a few combinations," said an upset Mathews.
While Lasith Malinga is the T20 captain and Mathews is the leader in the other two formats, it was evident from his answers that he is certainly not happy with the team that has been selected.
When a specific question was asked about a out-of-form Tillekaratne Dilshan, Mathews' disappointment was evident in his reply.
"I think everybody hits a rough patch, and he (Dilshan) has had a few rough patches here and there. We all need to take responsibility. Not just the seniors. The selectors and the captain have picked a squad, which they think is good. And so we have to try and go out there with who we have in the squad. We need to have faith in them and move forward," said Mathews.
The key to India's success in T20, according to Mathews, has been identifying the core group of players and then forming a winning combination with it.
"Indians have been playing really good cricket in the past couple of years. They have been patient and sticking to a squad they thought was going to be their team for the World Cup," said the all-rounder.
"That's what you've got to do, stick with a team and be patient. Be patient with whoever you pick without chopping and changing too much, especially before the Asia Cup and World Cup. You have to be ready to go. You have to chop and change and check combinations before."