Coach Jayasuriya criticizes Sri Lanka's performance after Galle Test humiliation
What's the story
Sri Lanka's head coach, Sanath Jayasuriya, has expressed his disappointment after the team's dismal performance in the first Test match against Australia.
The match, which was held at Galle International Stadium, ended in a record defeat for Sri Lanka by an innings and 242 runs.
This loss also marked their biggest innings defeat in Test cricket history. Here's what the coach had to say.
Coach's critique
Jayasuriya blames poor shot selection for defeat
Jayasuriya also criticized the team's batting order for their poor shot selection in both innings, resulting in a loss of 15 wickets on Day 4, and stated "so there was a serious problem with shot selection as well as handling situations."
"We cannot blame the wicket because we saw how the wicket behaved, for a long time, we haven't seen such a good wicket in Galle," he told the press after the conclusion of the first Test match.
Match highlights
Australia's historic victory and Sri Lanka's missed opportunities
Australia's win in Galle is not just their biggest against Sri Lanka but also their biggest Test win in Asia.
Despite the absence of senior Australian pacers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, Sri Lanka couldn't make the most of it.
Jayasuriya lamented over players who got off to a good start but couldn't convert their starts into big scores stating, "the biggest problem is the batters who are getting a start, are not going on to play a long innings."
Player achievements
Standout performances and Australia's continued dominance
Despite Sri Lanka's dismal show, Dinesh Chandimal and Jeffrey Vandersay stood out.
Chandimal scored 72 in the first innings while Vandersay smashed an aggressive 53 off 47 balls in the second.
For Australia, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, and Josh Inglis scored centuries while Khawaja smashed his first double hundred in Test cricket.
This win further cements Australia's dominance in the Test format after their recent win over India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Bowling highlights
Australia's bowling prowess and Sri Lanka's previous record defeat
Matthew Kuhnemann bowled a match-winning spell for Australia, returning with career-best figures of 9-149 across both innings.
He was well supported by Nathan Lyon who took seven match wickets.
Notably, before this match, Sri Lanka's heaviest defeat was in Nagpur in 2017 when India thrashed them by an innings and 239 runs.
Meanwhile, the second Test match of the series will start on February 6.