The importance of ‘A’ team tours was emphasized with Sri Lanka’s tour to Bangladesh serving its purpose in more ways than one.
From a national team’s perspective the tour enabled Dimuth Karunaratne and Lakshan Sandakan to prepare themselves for the recently concluded Test series against South Africa.
“In every ‘A’ tour there are a few objectives that we look at before we go, one was getting Dimuth back in form and getting Sandakan’s rhythm back. In terms of that we achieved both,” said Avishka Gunawardene, the Sri Lanka ‘A’ team coach.
“Sandakan started bowling well he took a five-for in the game he played. Dimuth got a 150 plus and he took that form into the series against South Africa. In that context we achieved our objectives.”
The other plus point on the tour was the return to form of Lahiru Thirimanne who scored back to back hundreds in the four-day unofficial test series against Bangladesh ‘A’. Thirimanne’s scores in the series were: 168 and 67 (n.o.), 100 (n.o.), and 12.
“We have been looking at Thiri for years and in the last three months I have seen the best of him. Even in the provincial tournament he got a couple of hundreds and went to Bangladesh and got back to back hundreds. Taking those performances into consideration I am pretty happy how things have worked out for him,” said Gunawardene.
“It’s all to do with confidence. He is on top of the world when it comes to confidence now having got two back to back hundreds. He only needs to keep the confidence going. When it comes to this elite level it is very rarely that you get a technical error it’s more a mental game. At the age of 28-29 you can’t drastically change someone’s technique. It is totally the mental aspect. The provincial tournament he played for my team in Colombo basically he was under pressure to score runs. My job was to take his pressure off.
“Even for Sandakan the moment you took his pressure off and get them to relax and do what they want to do in the middle sometimes that’s how you can get the best out of a player. Basically we do a team plan and I just tell them whether they are in the team plan or out. If you are not in then go out there and do what you like. I am not giving you a target. The moment you do that the pressure is off,” he said.
Fast bowler Shehan Madushanka is another player who benefitted from the ‘A’ tour to Bangladesh.
“Shehan was coming back after injury (torn hamstring) and we were asked to manage him and get him back. We managed him well and he started improving by the time we returned to Colombo. From where he started the tour I saw a massive improvement in his match fitness and overall rhythm,” said Gunawardene.
Two other young players who have made it to the national ODI squad for the forthcoming five-match series against South Africa are the Jayusuriyas (no relation) Shehan and Prabath.
“Shehan has been performing in the last 3-4 months and it was just a matter of time that he got the nod and Prabath has also been in the radar for some time. From a coach’s point of view from the ‘A’ team it is satisfactory for us to give two boys to the senior team,” said Gunawardene. “My goal as head coach is at least to try and give two players from the ‘A’ team to the national team. In terms of that we can be satisfied.”
The Bangladesh ‘A’ side according to Gunawardene comprised of at least six national team players two of whom left to join the team in the West Indies soon after the unofficial test series.
Gunawardene, a former Sri Lanka opening batsman has been a successful coach with the ‘A’ team for nearly three years. Not only has he produced players to the national team but whatever series they have played Sri Lanka ‘A’ have come up with a win.
The recent tour to Bangladesh saw Sri Lanka ‘A’ win the three-match 4-day unofficial test series 1-0 (2 drawn) and draw the unofficial ODI series 1-all (1 no- result).
Gunawardene’s coaching policy is simple. “I have been a coach for the past 12 years and been in the coaching system for two years, club system for eight years, head coach in seven provincial tournaments. I have been working with the boys for the last so many years and basically I know in an out what these boys do. It is very easy for me to manage them because I have been in the system. It is basically how you manage them.
“Every coach has his own way of treating players and my message to the players is that I am not going to be like a principal I will treat them as professionals as long as they conduct themselves, behave and play the game. I want them to take responsibility and want them to make decisions rather than me making them. At the end of the day when they go to the middle it is they who have to make the decisions. They have to handle the pressure. All we can do is guide them, train them and get them ready for the game. That is my style of coaching.”
Gunawardene said that more than achieving winning results providing players to the national team was his priority. “My goal is to produce as many players to the national team from ‘A’ team results to me is the second most important thing. Looking back in the last 2½ years I can be happy that I have provided 8-9 players to the national side and results have also followed.”
Sri Lanka does not have an ‘A’ tour for the next 3-4 months and Gunawardene stressed on the importance of having continuous tours.
“I have been talking to Sri Lanka Cricket and stressed on the need for at least three ‘A’ tours a year it’s very important for the national team.
We really need to look into this. There is a gap between our domestic cricket and international cricket.
You bridge the gap with the ‘A’ team tours. It’s very important for players to come through the system to play ‘A’ team cricket and get selected to the national side,” Gunawardene said.
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