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ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP


June 21, 2019


Dimuth Karunaratne


Headingley, Leeds, England, UK

Sri Lanka - 232-9, England 212

Q. At the halfway stage, did you think you had enough to defend that?
DIMUTH KARUNARATNE: I think that we were giving some advantage first. We thought if we hang in there, we definitely have a chance. We need to get a couple of wickets and we win the game, so that's what I told my boys. Keep hanging there, one or two wickets, if you can get one or two wickets, you can win the game.

Q. There were little questions over Lasith Malinga until a few days ago since he went back home and you said, you told him that he could stay back with the family. Now he is back, with four wickets, how do you see that? And do you think his comeback bolsters not only the bowling attack but also improves that morale?
DIMUTH KARUNARATNE: I think he's a legend. He know what he has to do, I think. Whatever he do he is doing his best, so that is why I said, if he want to go home and come back, that's fine. So I think he did that and he come back again and he gave a good example for the rest of the guys.

He just keep doing what he knows, that is the main thing, the basic things. Those things we want to set as example for the youngsters. So I think he did really good job and even Angelo, both of them did a really good job. Those are the things, you know, every time you try turning the games, changing the games. Those are the performances of changing the games.

Q. What was the wicket like? It looked like it was difficult to get a start on that wicket. In that sense, how important was Angelo's knock? How much credit do you give him for playing such a knock?
DIMUTH KARUNARATNE: I think it looks like a 300 wicket. We thought it was a good, flat wicket, it would come nicely, but when you play, it was seaming a bit in the first few overs, and then suddenly it's a bit slower and slower.

So I think when we are batting, we take some advice from Angelo, he said "It's getting slower and slower." So he said we couldn't get 280, 300, but if you can get 250, 240, it's a good total on this wicket.

So that is what we want and, as Angelo know, as I said, when he informed me, he knew how to play. I think he is a good finisher, I think he did really well, a good job, and hit his area really very well on this track, I think that is what he did. And all of the middle-order batsmen contributed really well once the openers went early, I think they did a really good job.

Q. What does this win do to your chances of a semifinal place now?
DIMUTH KARUNARATNE: I think we need to -- we are not thinking -- every game, we want to go one by one to next game with South Africa. So we want to you know play and win that match, so that is our main focus. So we keep focussing on that match so, after that, if we can win it, then we go for the next one. That is what we are planning, one by one.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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