Sri Lanka's chief coach Chris Silverwood has said ahead of the opening Test against Australia beginning here on June 29 that he had kept notes of the Pat Cummins-led team from the Ashes, which he will use to plot the tourists' downfall in the two-Test series.
Silverwood was the chief coach of England during the Ashes and had to step down following the then Joe Root-led side's debacle Down Under, where they lost the series 0-4.
Silverwood was later appointed by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to be their head coach and he has since plotted Australia's defeat in the ODI series, and is now making plans to upset the Cummins-led side in the two Tests at Galle.
Sliverwood has said that he is an "avid scribbler" and had made notes on Australian batters from the Ashes, and that knowledge would come in handy to plot Sri Lanka's victory.
"I keep notes on everything. I'm an avid scribbler, so I've got my notes on the Australian batsmen from the Ashes. I'm not going to go too much into the Ashes...but whatever knowledge I can bring from there and bring to our guys, I will," mirror.co.uk quoted Silverwood as saying.
Silverwood, while admitting that he had a torrid time in Australia during the Ashes, added that Sri Lanka beating the Kangaroos in the ODI series 3-2 was "very satisfying".
"I had a rough winter over in Australia. They're a very difficult team to beat in their own backyard. So winning (the ODI series) here (in Sri Lanka) was very satisfying, but more satisfying for me was the progress of the team that has made their way through this journey so far.
"Just to see the tactics coming together, to see guys out in the middle scoring runs, to see how we've chased totals down. One of the most exciting things is we're still nowhere near the potential we have in that team, yet we are still pushing the one of the best teams in the world. That's very exciting and we've more to come," he added.
Source : IANS