Kamindu says dew factor favours Pakistan

Sri Lanka’s top order batsman Kamindu Mendis said the dew factor played a significant role in Pakistan’s three-wicket victory in the ODI tri-series final at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Saturday, while admitting that his team were 20 to 30 runs short of a competitive total.
Kamindu, who struck a brilliant 131 in the final, said he enjoyed his innings but was disappointed that his team ended up on the losing side.
“First of all, I enjoyed my knock, but we are still on the losing side. I think we were 20 to 25 runs short, to be honest,” he said at the post-match news conference.
He also praised Pakistan’s Fakhar Zaman for his match-winning century but acknowledged that Sri Lanka made mistakes in the field.
“I think Fakhar Zaman played really well. We made some mistakes in the field, but that can happen in the game of cricket. Still, Fakhar played a very good innings,” Kamindu said.
He said Sri Lanka would now look forward to red-ball cricket, adding that the team had several positives to build on.
“It’s a good sign to move on to red-ball cricket. We have been doing really well in red-ball cricket as well. I think we have a good coach and a good environment. There are so many positives within our team, and going forward, we are doing much better. We are improving each and every day and in every game. I think we will be doing really well soon,” he said.
Reflecting on the final, Kamindu said Sri Lanka’s bowlers had made a good start but gave credit to Fakhar and Saad Baig for their outstanding batting.
“It was a really good start from our bowlers, but credit goes to Saad and Fakhar. I think they played really well. The dew factor was also a huge advantage for them, but they played really good cricket,” he said.
Kamindu also welcomed the concept of tri-series tournaments, saying they provided competitive cricket.
“I think playing a tri-series is really good because there is always competition. Whoever performs better on the day wins the game. So I think a tri-series is a good thing to have,” he said.
The Sri Lankan batter also spoke highly of his compatriots Pavan Rathnayake and Janith Liyanage.
Talking about Rathnayake, Kamindu said they had played together at the same club in Sri Lanka for a long time and he had always believed his teammate had the potential to become a world-class player.
“I have been playing with him since my early days. We played for the same club in Sri Lanka. I always thought he would become a great, world-class player. He is a really good player,” he said.
Praising Liyanage, Kamindu said he had been performing consistently in ODI cricket since making his debut.
“Talking about Janith, I think he has been doing really well in ODI cricket since his debut. He is a great player as well,” he added.