We have more clarity on the batting approach: Angelo Mathews

Sri Lanka’s batting in the first Test at Headingly was horrendous. The result of the batting disaster was that the hosts defeated the visiting side in just a matter of two days, handing them a defeat by an innings and 88 runs after folding for just 91 and 119 in their two innings. But, Sri Lanka’s skipper, Angelo Mathews, is pretty confident ahead of the 2nd Test and has said that the team has addressed the batting issues that haunted them in the first Test.

“We have more clarity on the batting approach, and also we’ve found the right balance,” the Sri Lanka captain said on Thursday (May 26). “It’s just that when you play more games, you tend to learn more. Batting is also an art, and Test cricket is an art. It is a test of skill and temperament. It can’t be an excuse because we are all international players and we’ve played enough cricket now to understand what roles we have to play in the team in the batting line-up.

“As a batter you have got to have that balance. If you play a whole day and don’t get a run, it’s useless. You do have to be positive when a bowler is bowling really well, but you’ve also got to survive that situation when someone like Broad or Anderson is bowling. Those little phases, you’ve got to win and not lose wickets. When the ball is old and the wicket settles down you can score runs.”

Mathews also states that the short duration between the first two Tests have helped his team prepare well and not focus on the negatives.

“We’ve had only a few days to turn around and think about our strategies,” he pointed out. “We just have to flush that game out of the system because the more we think about it, the more disappointed we get. You can’t erase it, but you can move on and work really hard to have a positive mindset to take into the next game.”

Mathews also went on to praise Kusal Mendis, who resisted the England pace attack with a half-century.

“This is the first tour for Mendis on the big stage, and his first Test match in England,” he said. “He showed a lot of character when the ball is swinging and seaming around. That itself showed a lot of character about the player. We can take a lot of positives out of it. The rest of the batters can also take a lot of positives out of it and take up the challenge.”