Spinners’ accuracy causing too many problems – SA coach Gibson | Sunday Observer

Spinners’ accuracy causing too many problems – SA coach Gibson

22 July, 2018

Coach of the beleaguered South African team Ottis Gibson said that the accuracy of the Sri Lankan spinners was causing a mental and technical problem to his batsmen in the ongoing two-Test series.

“From a technical point of view, the accuracy of the Sri Lankan spinners, they are not spinning every ball, but the accuracy in their bowling means they are challenging our techniques when some spin and some don’t,” said Gibson at the end of the second day after his team had been bowled out for 124.

“It becomes a mental battle which balls to play, which balls to leave and when to go forward and when not to go forward. These are the challenges that the Sri Lankan spinners have posed to us.

“All the spinners have created a threat it’s not just the ones who get the wickets but ones like (Rangana) Herath who hasn’t got many wickets but he bowls very economically and creates pressure. They bowl together really well and create a lot of pressure, the guys around the bat also create pressure and we have not been good enough to deal with it.

“In a two-test series like this we haven’t found the answers yet. There will be more subcontinent tours so let’s hope that we are learning those tough lessons when a series is going on and you are not playing very well,” he said.

Gibson admitted that his batsmen have failed to deliver and that they were hurting a lot in the dressing room.

“We’ve got very capable world class batsmen in our dressing room and they are hurting at the moment because they haven’t performed to the level that we expect in Sri Lanka. In the past, Hashim (Amla) and Deeno (Dean Elgar) especially have got runs here,” said Gibson. “We got a couple of new faces as well as youngsters getting their first or second taste of subcontinent cricket trying to understand what it’s all about. You could put up your hands up and say that Sri Lanka in these conditions are too good for us. It’s the toughest series so far. We played three days in Galle and two days here the toughest five days certainly. It’s been a lesson and one that we learn moving forward,” he said.

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