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'Sri Lankan batsmen should learn from Lara' - Atapattu

Marvan Atapattu, leading the Sri Lankan Test team for the first time, has called for his batsmen to accept greater responsibility and take a leaf out of Brian Lara's book

Sa'adi Thawfeeq
15-Apr-2004


Marvan Atapattu: some straight talking from the new Test captain © Getty Images
Marvan Atapattu, leading the Sri Lankan Test team in a series for the first time, has called for his batsmen to accept greater responsibility and take a leaf out of Brian Lara's book. Speaking to the media before the squad left for Zimbabwe for a two-Test and five one-day international series, Atapattu hoped that Sri Lanka's batsmen would learn from Lara's monumental innings in the Antigua Test against England.
"Good players like Brian Lara don't miss out on opportunities like that. With his innings of 400 not out he caught up with what he missed in the first three Tests. That is the attitude our batsmen should have," said Atapattu. "There is a lack of professionalism and application in our batting. When you get to a certain score you must carry on from there. You are due failures as well but when you get runs, get the maximum. I am critical about players who get into 80s and 100s and get out. They are the ones who should make up for the others." The failure of their top order was the main reason for Sri Lanka's disappointing 3-0 loss in the Test series against Australia.
Looking ahead to the Zimbabwe tour, Atapattu admitted that leading the team against a relatively weak opponent in overseas conditions would be a huge advantage. "To take over the captaincy against Zimbabwe is a good way to start because it is an away tour and the pressure is less. Playing a team that is not as strong as Australia will help the team-building.
"Cricket is not all about winning, but winning consistently. There should be a good team spirit, a feel for one another and a good team culture. That is what I saw in the Australian side. The tour to Zimbabwe gives us the opportunity to work on those lines and make the team a cohesive unit."
Looking beyond this series, Atapattu expressed the need for Sri Lanka to have a strong bunch of players on the bench. "We need a pool of about 15-20 players good enough to replace anybody in the senior team at any given time. We need to build a team for the future and I am glad two promising youngsters, Tilina Kandamby and Farveez Maharoof, have been included." Kandamby, 21, is a middle-order batsman who has done well on recent A tours, while Maharoof is a 19-year-old fast-bowling allrounder.
It wasn't only the batting which worried Atapattu. He spoke about the spate of injuries to the Sri Lankan fast bowlers, and the need to nuture them carefully: "I think we should use our fast bowlers sparingly and play them in the more important games. With the amount of matches we have to play today and playing on hard surfaces they are more prone to breakdowns.
"Prabath [Nissanka] hasn't played for a long time. Dilhara [Fernando] has not been a consistent member of the team because he has a problem with his bowling action that is placing a great deal of strain on his lower back. [Nuwan] Zoysa has come back recently, but he is a bowler who needs to be nursed carefully because he is not one who can be played for a long series of matches. If we can have all these guys fit and bowling in tandem it will be wonderful."
Speaking about the controversy over Muttiah Muralitharan's action, Atapattu emphasised that it would have no negative impact on Murali, or the team. "We have no doubt that Murali will be the same bowler and display his repertoire of spin, especially with the support he is getting from all quarters. Murali has never given us any indication that he is worried by the fact that his new delivery is under scrutiny."
Finally, Atapattu expressed the hope that the Zimbabwe players would resolve the ongoing impasse with the board and field their best team for the series. "When you are touring a country you want to play the best side they have. That is what competing is all about. If Zimbabwe don't play at full strength we will find it difficult to keep the morale of our players high."