Kenyan coach hurt by worst defeat in three-year tenure

CricInfo

February 10, 2002

Kenyan coach Sandeep Patil admitted to being hurt by the manner in which his side slumped to defeat in the second unofficial Test against Sri Lanka A in Matara, calling it the worst performance in his three-year tenure.

He went on to complain that his players' natural talent was being wasted because of their inability to play as a team.

Speaking straight after the team had been defeated by an innings and 152 runs to lose the series with a Sri Lanka A side two-nil, Patil said: "Winning and losing doesn't matter, but the way we lost it does."

He added: "We have to start playing as a team. There's no point in players getting hundreds if we cannot play as a team."

"We have no excuses at all, the umpiring has been very good, the pitches have been absolutely brilliant, and the facilities tremendous.

"I still don't believe the kind of cricket we have played. This the worst performance of the Kenyan team in the last three years I have been associated with them."

"We've come here to educate ourselves, to learn and we have already wasted ten days without learning."

His batsmen bore the brunt of his disappointment: "We have not been selective enough in out shot making, playing too many shots. We have not been able to handle the pressure."

But Patil is also convinced that the team can perform much better.

"I have seen these guys playing some brilliant cricket and I am confident they can do it," he said.

He now hopes they can salvage from the series in the final Test starting Thursday at Dambulla.

"Now it is up to us to wake up and pull our socks up and get back into the series by playing some good cricket," he said.

"As long as we can learn from our mistakes and we take a step forward towards what we intend doing ultimately, then I'll be happy. We can perform to our ability in the next game."

Sri Lanka 'A' coach, Roshan Mahanama, was delighted with the performance of his players, whom he claimed had worked hard and to a plan.

"I wanted them to get big scores and they have done so," he said. "In the bowling, all the wickets have been shared. That's a sign the team is playing as a unit and everyone is trying to do their best for the team. It has worked out well for the boys and I am happy for them."

Commenting on Chandana's contribution to the win, Mahanama said: "To be fair by Chandana, he has been labeled a one-day cricketer. He has played a lot of one-day cricket and he hasn't had the opportunity of playing the longer version of the game. He's clearly making good use of the opportunity given to him now."

"I am sure the captaincy also would have given him that added confidence. He has done a fantastic job, not only with the bat and ball, but as captain as well".

On Tillakaratne Dilshan's century (164 not out), Mahanama said: "I was very impressed with him. He went through a lean period. He got two back-to-back hundreds against England but since then he has struggled a bit.

"I wanted him to convert the fifties and sixties in club matches into big scores and that's exactly what he did. He batted for close to seven hours and he showed his commitment."

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