SL vs BAN: 'There Is No Rocket Science': Sri Lanka Coach Chris Silverwood Clarifies His Stand Behind Coded Messages

Sri Lanka head coach Chris Silverwood decoded his message to skipper Dasun Shanaka through notes during the Asia Cup 2022 clash between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

It was a nail-biting finish for the hosts Sri Lanka to win by two wickets with two balls to spare and book their berth in the tournament’s Super 4 stage. 

Sri Lanka wins the most intense contest of the Asia Cup

Just in the build-up of the match, there were words of exchange from both camps. The reactions of Sri Lankan players celebrating Bangladesh’s trademark ‘Naagin Dance’ summed up the baggage of this game.

Sri Lanka all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne was the one to do the serpent dance. In fact, the fans of both teams in the stadium were having a go at each other. 

Whenever players from each team did something extraordinary, their supporters would just go berserk to outnumber their counterparts in the stands. 

Amid all the heated tensions between the two sides, one thing that particularly enraged the Bangladesh supporters was when Silverwood used coded signals through the paper to pass information to their players on the pitch.

The former England spinner was seen with the team analyst sending messages like “2D” and “D5” to Dasun Shanaka and his men.

They are just suggestions for the captain: Chris Silverwood on sending coded messages 

After Sri Lanka’s thriller win over Bangladesh at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Silverwood clarified his strategy and the signals were meant to suggest rather than impose anything on the players. 

“There is no rocket science. They are just suggestions for the captain at what would be a good match at a particular point for a batsman when he is on strike. There’s a lot of teams doing it now, it’s just as simple as it is, really. It’s just giving suggestions that the captain can use, it’s not telling him how to captain. It’s just the suggestion from the side,” Silverwood said, as reported by News18.

Sri Lanka joins Afghanistan and India in the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup. The winner between Pakistan vs Hong Kong will secure fourth place.

Also Read: Watch: Sri Lanka All-Rounder Chamika Karunaratne Celebrates Win Over Bangladesh With “Nagin Dance”