Furious Jayasuriya brands performance 'amateurish'
The Sri Lanka captain said after his side's shock defeat against Kenya that it was one of the worst matches he had ever played
25-Feb-2003
Sanath Jayasuriya, fuming after his side's shock defeat against Kenya,
claimed his side had performed like "amateurs".
Sri Lanka's 53 run defeat means that they now face a tough fight to qualify
for the Super Sixes with difficult games looming against South Africa and
West Indies.
"I think it's one of the worst matches I've ever played," claimed Jaysuriya
afterwards. "211 was an attainable total but that was disappointing.
"We did not play like professionals today, we played like amateurs.
"We batted badly and our middle order didn't click. This is my and the
team's worst day in cricket."
Sri Lanka must win at least one of their remaining games against the West
Indies or the South Africa to have any chance of making the next round of
the tournament.
"I'm worried about the middle-order batting," admitted Jayasuriya
"This was the best opportunity they got before the big matches come and they
didn't prove themselves.
"We didn't play well, and this puts us under pressure to beat the West
Indies in Cape Town. That match, and the one against South Africa, will be a
big test of our character."
An elated Kenya captain, Steve Tikolo, praised his bowlers and fielders.
"I was always confident of doing well in spite of the fact that I thought we
were about 40 runs short," he said.