Sanath Jayasuriya explodes on his own Sri Lanka players after humiliating loss vs Australia

Sri Lanka head coach Sanath Jayasuriya expressed his disappointment following the team's poor performance in the first Test of the ongoing home series against Australia. Sanath Jayasuriya also criticized the team's batting order, pointing out poor shot selection and mishandling of key situations.

Sri Lanka suffered a defeat by an innings and 242 runs against Australia at Galle International Stadium in Galle on Saturday, February 1. This loss became their largest innings defeat in Test cricket history. The match was one-sided, with Australia dominating throughout and hardly putting a foot wrong.

There Was a Serious Problem with Shot Selections - Sanath Jayasuriya

Sanath Jayasuriya was critical of Sri Lanka's players for their poor shot selection and failure to handle key situations during the Test match. He emphasized that some players, despite being experienced, did not show the maturity required to handle such challenges.

"There was a serious problem with shot selections, as well as with handling situations. I don't think certain players have handled situations well. They're experienced players, and they have to be more mature," Jayasuriya said.

"These players have played a lot of cricket and should know how to play. I've talked to them about this. But we've got to talk to them in detail about this now. Also, we cannot blame the wicket. Because we saw how the wicket behaved. This was a very good wicket. For a long time, we haven't seen such a good wicket in Galle, on the third and fourth days."

They Converted Them to Big Hundreds - Sanath Jayasuriya

Sri Lanka’s batters failed to convert starts into big scores during the first Test match. In Australia’s first innings, six players faced 50 or more balls, while only Dinesh Chandimal did so for Sri Lanka. Sanath Jayasuriya highlighted that Sri Lanka’s players must take better advantage of home conditions.

"The biggest problem is the batters who are taking a start but are not going to play a long innings. This is something I always mutter. We saw [Usman] Khawaja, [Steven] Smith, and [Josh] Inglis, all three of them took a good start and they converted them to big hundreds," Jayasuriya said.

"This conversion must be there. We're not consistent in that. Our players should know that these are our conditions and we must make use of these conditions. There were lots of opportunities but we didn't make use of them," he added.

Australia Has a Chance to Secure Their First Series Win in Sri Lanka Since 2011

Australia posted a total of 654/6 declared in their first innings. Usman Khawaja scored his maiden double century, while Steve Smith and Josh Inglis hit centuries. In response, Sri Lanka was dismissed for just 165 in their first innings. After following on, Sri Lanka was bowled out for 247 in their second innings.

The Australia national cricket team has a chance to secure their first series win in Sri Lanka since 2011 with a victory in the upcoming second Test. This match, which is set to begin on February 6 in Galle, will also be the final contest of the 2023-25 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, excluding the final clash.

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