New Sri Lanka women’s head coach Jamie Siddons has set the team’s sights on toppling heavyweights at the upcoming Women’s World Cup in England, rather than simply making up the numbers in a group stacked with tougher opponents.
Sri Lanka open their campaign against hosts England at Edgbaston in June. Drawn alongside England, West Indies, New Zealand, Ireland and Scotland in a six-team group, Siddons’s squad know there is little room for passengers.
“The World Cup is our big focus and we’ve got some tough games coming up,” Siddons told reporters on the sidelines of a floodlit training session at the Colombo Cricket Club. “England at home will be a hard nut to crack. West Indies and New Zealand are quality sides as well.”
Ahead of the main event, Sri Lanka will play a preparation series in Bangladesh. “That gives us an opportunity to look at some of the new players coming through,” Siddons said.
The Australian coach, who replaces Rumesh Rathnayake, was candid about the areas that still need work. Fielding in the deep and a shortage of batting firepower have been recurring weaknesses against the top sides, he said, with the bowling attack needing more variations to contain higher-scoring teams.
“From a bowling perspective, we need a few more tricks in the bag. The girls have to develop variations, slower balls, cutters and cut down the boundaries,” Siddons said.
Captain Chamari Atapattu remains the team’s central figure, but Siddons said the squad needed others to step up. “She’s our major player and we’ve depended a lot on her. But we need a few more to put their hands up. Chamari still has plenty to offer.”
He also flagged a rare crop of pace-bowling talent in the domestic pipeline as a potential point of difference at the tournament.
