Coach Silverwood blames inconsistent batting for Sri Lanka's horror World Cup run

Bengaluru, Nov 9 (PTI) Head coach Chris Silverwood on Thursday pinned Sri Lanka's horror run in the World Cup to its inconsistencies, particularly in batting, after the Islanders bowed out of the quadrennial mega event with a five-wicket defeat against New Zealand here.

In a lopsided contest, Sri Lanka succumbed to their seventh loss in nine league stage matches and slipped to the ninth spot in the points table. The top eight teams will get direct qualification for the Champions Trophy in 2025.

Sri Lanka were shot out for a mere 171 by the Kiwis, who won by five wickets and more than 26 overs to spare.

“I think inconsistency (the cause of SL’s lean run). It would be fair to use that word. We'll look back on certain games and rue missed opportunities. There have been games that if we'd have taken the opportunities, this could have looked a lot different," he said.

“But the fact is that we have been inconsistent and it's something that we've been working on for a long time and something we need to continue working on,” said Silverwood in his post-match press meet.

Silverwood further dissected the defeat and said the Lankan batsmen needed to be more consistent.

“When we get back and dissect what's happened in this tournament, it's (batting) something that we have to look at and we have to find some answers.

“We need to start putting runs on the board on good wickets and putting other teams under pressure,” he added.

The Englishman also said poor catching let them down throughout the tournament.

“It's frustrating, because I mean, certain catches that we've put down during this tournament have cost us heavily. It's again something that we're constantly working on.

“Our fielding coach is constantly working on that and trying to push the standards higher. But clearly there's still work to be done as well,” he noted.

However, Silverwood did not want to involve himself with all the drama surrounding the Sri Lankan cricket board.

“When it comes to what's happening back home at the moment, being an outsider, the politics of Sri Lanka is not really my business.

“So, I will respectfully decline to go into those areas. I think what we've tried to do here is try and keep a camp together,” he added.