My worst Test as coach – Graham Ford

Rex Clementine
reporting from Melbourne

Sri Lanka’s coach Graham Ford has an impeccable record. Even Steve Waugh’s invincibles couldn’t win a series in India, but Ford achieved the milestone when he coached South Africa to a historic series win in 2000. Of the 11 series Ford was in-charge as coach of South Africa, eight ended in victories and one of those victories came against the Sri Lankans in 2001. In that series came Sri Lanka’s heaviest defeat in Test cricket, an embarrassing innings and 229-run loss in Cape Town. The Test ended inside three days.

For someone known for ending Tests in three days, it’s quite tough when the trend is reversed, that’s to be in the receiving end. Sri Lanka’s innings and 201-run loss at the MCG is their third worst in the history and Ford tried to play down the embarrassment.

"It’s not a good feeling at the moment. Right now it feels like the worst Test Match I have been involved in. I don’t think I have been involved in a Test Match that has ended inside three days. Any loss is pretty disappointing. It’s been quite difficult to find that many positives out of this one apart from Kumar’s milestone," Ford told journalists after Sri Lanka’s capitulation before tea on day three.

"I was surprised. I have often spoken about the fact that Sri Lankan cricketers show a lot of fight. Australia got some momentum going and we didn’t get the start that we wanted. In the first Test we managed to hold some of the momentum through some good gusty performances. Unfortunately it didn’t happen this time. Maybe if we had held those catches it would have been different. But it got to a point where the momentum became too much and unfortunately with a few things going against us with injuries and all that, we were not up to it. Quite disappointing," Ford said summing up the game.

After conceding a massive first innings deficit of 304 runs, Sri Lanka’s priority should have been batting out two days, but the mood in the Sri Lankan camp was explained by the run out of Dimuth Karunaratne in the very first over of the innings. Sri Lanka lost the other opener Tillekeratne Dilshan in the next ball and in the next over Mahela Jayawardene followed and an early finish was on the cards from that moment.

"We have got to give credit to the way they bowled on that surface. The bounce was difficult and they had the bowlers to exploit that. From what I have seen, from the way the boys have worked as build up for this Test, I have seen desire, I would like to think that we lost not due to lack of character. If we bounce back well in Sydney then we will know about the character," Ford added.