Monday, August 27, 2012

Akila Dananjaya not a Mystery Spinner - Trevor Bayliss

Former Sri lankan Coach Trevor Bayliss in an interview expressed views on Akila Dananjaya,SLPL and ICC world T-20 prospects,Speaking about Teenage spinner Akila Dananjaya who has become the sensation of the SLPL after he made it to the Sri Lankan Twenty20 World Cup squad on the strength of his superb show in the SLPL, Bayliss does not want to call him a "mystery spinner" as yet.
Dananjaya have not played any competitive cricket outside school fixtures but after seeing him as a net bowler, Sri Lanka and Wayamba skipper Mahela Jayawardene recommended him to be fast-tracked into the national team.

"I don't want to term him as a "mystery spinner" (like an Ajantha Mendis or West Indian Sunil Narine but he is more of a conventional spinner. He has more leg-spinning variation, like the wrong 'un and the flippers. He does not have a carrom ball (like a Mendis). He has a very good head on his shoulders and he is ready to learn.
"It's good for Sri Lankan cricket. It happened in case of Ajantha Mendis also. When I came here (to take charge as coach), Mendis was a net bowler but after seeing his variations he was drafted into the team," said Bayliss.
"My advice is that at the international stage, batsmen will try to work out a Dananjaya or a Mendis but the challenge is that they have to go a step ahead and should not lose confidence," he added.
Bayliss picked Sri Lanka as the favourites to win the Twenty20 World Cup starting on September 18.
"It is going to be tough to beat Sri Lanka at home and I would put my money on them. India and Pakistan are also going to be contenders in sub-continental conditions. West Indies wickets are also more or less similar to the wickets here and they have some good players. But you can't rule out England and Australia either," he said.
Asked about his take on DRS, he said,"It might be wrong if India said that they got more wrong decisions. India said they want 100 per cent accuracy in the DRS. It's OK. It's understandable.
"It's their view. If 100 per cent right decisions are made, it's the best but it is not going to happen. It's good that if the accuracy of DRS is improved but the 50-50 decisions will remain."
Three Pakistani players in the Wayamba United have left for home for the series against Australia, but Bayliss said that his side has the local youngsters to take their place.
"It is not going to affect on the balance of the team but surely will affect on the experience. Three Pakistanis are leaving and they are going to be replaced by some talented local players but experience will be lacking," he said.
Asked about a comparison among Big Bash, IPL and SLPL, Bayliss said, "IPL is really big in terms of money involved but one similarity is that any such league will depend on the home-grown players as the overseas players would find it difficult to adjust to conditions. It happened in KKR and in Sydney Sixers team. In the Big Bash final, I played all local players and there was not a singles foreign player."
On the secret of his success as T20 coach, Bayliss said, "I did not do anything. A coach's job is to create the right environment so that they play their best. The result depends on the quality of players you have. It's the same in Sydney Sixers and KKR."
Asked about his assessment of the inaugural SLPL as it's approaching the end of league phase, Bayliss said,"There were teething problems in the beginning but after that it is going on smoothly. Crowds are turning up in increasing number after every game, especially in Kandy. SLPL is going from strength to strength. Some very good cricket and contest are going on. The teams are doing well and youngsters are doing well."

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