Alarming that we don’t have pace bowling depth: Graham Ford

Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford has conceded that the Lankans lack depth in their bowling attack following injuries to the likes of Dushmantha Chameera and Dhammika Prasad. While the latter was ruled out before the start of the series, Chameera was ruled out after sustaining an injury in the first Test at Headingley.

Shaminda Eranga, who has quite effectively been the leader of the pace attack and has been complimented by Suranga Lakmal thus far. However, he is scheduled to undergo a biomechanical test at Loughborough on Monday after he was reported following the match at Chester-le-Street. Although he would be eager to play, the Lankan management will be eager to replace him with new inclusion Chaminda Bandara.

“Maybe it’s a little alarming that perhaps we don’t have the depth that we were hoping that we would have at this stage, in the fast bowling department,” Ford said. “That’s a project for the future because there are those injuries around fast bowlers. I did see some exciting Under-19 bowling before we came out here to England. I’m sure there are talented boys and if they’re looked after properly, we should have a decent unit of fast bowlers.”

“It is a challenge because Dhammika was the star of the show last time Sri Lanka toured England,” Ford said. “He was the one that bowls the right length and was able to swing the ball both ways. The rest of the guys tend to swing it out more than anything else. And then we lost that extra pace that Dushmantha brings.

“From a firepower point of view, we are perhaps not where we want to be. But we do have a bowling unit that can bowl with discipline, hit their areas, and find other ways of creating pressure. Champaka has been working very hard with them on that. We’ve had periods where we have created that pressure and stuck to it pretty well. But then we’ve had other periods when we haven’t been like that, which shows that we’re very much work-in-progress.”

“If you’re coming to different conditions, the sooner they get used to those conditions the better. The delay wasn’t ideal. But now they’re here they’re going pretty well. Hopefully, they have done some good work at home before they got here.”

“The players have worked like crazy, but at the board level, we’ve talked about how if you want to have a good fielding side, you have to make sure there’s real solid coaching in the fielding department at the emerging player level. By the time they get to international cricket they should be good fielders.

“We need somebody at the Under-17, Under-19, development and emerging players having regular fielding sessions. They would have done so many good drills that they’re not scared of the ball and not scared to dive. They would watch the ball while they’re diving.

“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. You can’t flick a switch. You can’t have them playing for Sri Lanka and in a couple of fielding, sessions turn them into brilliant fielders. We want to be known as a nation that produces really good fielders. In the levels below we’ve got to get the work done.”