Sri Lanka does not have many match winners now, said Nuwan Zoysa

After the retirement of two cricketers who were considered as the backbone of Sri Lankan cricket – Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, the team has not been able to recover and transition into a team that can win consistently. Not a lot was expected from them in the ongoing Champions Trophy 2017. The 7th placeholders in the ODI Team Rankings proved the analysts right, by losing their first game against the Proteas.

On Thursday, they will face a high flying Indian team at the Kennington Oval, London. Virat Kohli & Co. are coming off a huge victory against Pakistan and it is no surprise that they are regarded as the favourites to win the match. Former Sri Lankan seamer Nuwan Zoysa feels that the current Sri Lankan team is suffering from a dearth of quality match winners. In his view, he team is still recovering from the huge losses.

“Unlike old times, we don’t have many match winners now. Even Malinga is getting old, but even then, he still delivers the goods. Youngster (Nuwan) Pradeep will also have to step up against India,” said the 39-year old. Zoysa, who was a left-arm medium pacer, has picked up over 100 ODI wickets. His economy rate of under 5 runs per over is a testament to his bowling.

“Such things happen when you have new players coming in. So, it is better to focus on the natural game, rather than feel intimidated about the opponent,” he further commented. Zoysa has also featured in the Indian Premier League for the currently dismantled team Deccan Chargers.

Donald’s tips will help the Lankan cricketers

He feels that Sri Lanka’s fast bowling coach Allan Donald’s tips will be useful for the bowlers. “When the young guns gear up to face the likes of Virat and Shikhar Dhawan, Donald’s tips will help them,” said the owner of 64 Test wickets. “It is a must-win match for us. In the last game, we could not deliver the goods in all the departments, so that’s something we need to address,” he concluded saying.