“If You Can Control Your Emotions, As A Team You Can Go Very Far”: Dasun Shanaka On Sri Lanka’s Asia Cup 2022 Success

Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka was at the forefront of his team’s brilliant performance in the recent Asia Cup 2022 tournament, where his side defeated Pakistan in the final in Dubai On September 11 to become six-time Asian champions.

The side had lost their first match of the tournament to Afghanistan after being bowled out for just 105, but then gathered steam as all the players contributed here and there and they won five matches in a row to win the title, despite at one time, their odds of winning the tournament were low and plunged to borderline nonexistent after that defeat.

Sri Lanka’s white-ball captain Dasun Shanaka refused to take the credit for the side’s Asia Cup triumph, and instead heaped praise on his players for making his job easy.

“Whether it’s Wanindu [Hasaranga], Chamika [Karunaratne] or Bhanuka [Rajapaksa], everyone gets down to the same level and works together. When Wanindu goes and gives some advice to a younger player, a lot of the time it’s useful. Similarly, we always consult the players before taking decisions. This is why it makes my job easy; I can’t take the credit, as a team each person involved deserves the credit,” Shanaka was quoted by ESPNCricinfo.

“As A Captain, The Best Thing I Can Do Is Give A Player The Confidence”- Dasun Shanaka

Shanaka, having a more democratic approach to decision-making and keeping his players relaxed and in an optimal mindset to perform their skills in high-pressure situations was just as crucial.

“As a captain, the best thing I can do is give a player the confidence to perform their skills. I also don’t get upset if they make a mistake. A lot of cricket is about emotions; if you can control your emotions, as a team you can go very far.

I don’t like to put limits and pressure on players. If you put a limit on a player, you can’t get the best out of them on the field. It’s just as important to get them feeling good on the ground as well as off it. As a side, we’ve started to understand that. So the players were quite relaxed and the results followed from that,” he added.

Sri Lanka’s next assignment is the T20 World Cup in Australia, one which they will first have to qualify for. Sri Lanka has been placed in Group A of the qualifying round with Namibia, Netherlands, and UAE. They will play Namibia in the tournament opener in Geelong on October 16.

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