Upul Tharanga pleads for patience from fans

PALLEKELE: Facing tremendous public criticism and ridicule after they were whitewashed 3-0 in the Test series, Sri Lankan cricketers are pleading from their supporters to not give up on their team in its hour of crisis.
On Tuesday, Sri Lankan ODI skipper Upul Tharanga issued a statement through Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), urging the nation's cricket fans to rally round the national team and still have confidence in the beleaguered bunch.
"Every team goes through a rough patch" he said, "This is something that happens in cycles to every team and every nation no matter how great a cricketing nation they are. Sri Lanka dominated in all three formats for a good 18 years - don't forget this now when we are going through a rough patch," Tharanga said.
"Obviously, there are some things we can't openly discuss due to strategic reasons but there are certain areas behind the scenes that need to fall into place for us. These areas are being taken care of, and we are seeing the results behind the scenes - however it will take a little more time for it to be seen externally, so please have patience, and most importantly have faith," added the opener.
Tharanga promised the home fans, who are fast losing patience with the team, that his side will bounce back by beating India in the five-ODI series, which begins with the first game in Dambulla on August 20.
"Sri Lanka have always been stronger in our white-ball format, and I am confident that we will come out strong and beat India. We have the talent, we have the skill. We have been putting in the hard work, we just need the spirit, and for that we need your support too," said the 32-year-old.
Tharanga then concluded his appeal on an emotional note.
"The support of our fans plays a big role in the morale of the team. We play for our country and our goal is to bring pride to our family of 20 million in this nation - so your support is something that matters greatly to us. Yesterday despite the defeat (by an innings and 171 runs in the third Test here), we saw spectators cheering us and applauding us - this is what we need. It inspires us to fight harder too," requested the limited overs captain.
Deep inside, Tharanga knows that such emotional calls to rally behind his team will only work with the currently hugely disappointed Lankan fans if his team is able to overcome, or atleast compete with a strong Indian team in the forthcoming limited overs series.