Jayasuriya urges Sri Lanka to show ‘hunger’ in England Tests
England will host the Islanders in a three-Test series beginning on August 21
Sri Lanka’s interim coach, Sanath Jayasuriya, has urged the team to show determination and “hunger” in their upcoming three-Test series against England, which starts on August 21.
These Test matches are part of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25. Sri Lanka is currently ranked fourth on the WTC points table with a 50% points percentage (PCT), while England is ranked sixth with 36.54% PCT.
In an interview with ESPN Cricinfo, Jayasuriya emphasized the need for the team to have the right mindset before the series begins. “I want to make sure there is that hunger,” Jayasuriya said, highlighting the importance of the series. “Playing three Tests like this is a rare opportunity, so we must make the most of it. Scoring runs in England can be difficult because even on flat pitches, the ball can start swinging or seaming. We need to know how to adjust to that.”
Jayasuriya, who played six Tests in England during his career, scored 421 runs at an average of 42.1, with his best score of 213 runs coming at The Oval in 1998.
“We have the players, but we need to fight hard,” Jayasuriya added. “If you play six or seven batters, only two or three might perform well. If they get a good start, they need to turn it into big innings. They have a responsibility on these challenging pitches. Everyone should play their natural game, but once you get a good start, you need to know when to speed up or slow down. Even when the ball gets older, it can still seam here, which is unique to the Duke ball.”
Sri Lanka has not yet announced their playing XI for the first Test against England.
England XI: Dan Lawrence, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook (vc), Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, Mark Wood, Shoaib Bashir.
