World Cup 2023: 'Sri Lanka Is Virtually Gone From Champions Trophy', Aakash Chopra Lashes Out At Sri Lanka's Performance
After the thrashing defeat against New Zealand, the hopes of a spot in the ICC Champions Trophy for Sri Lanka are virtually over. Aakash Chopra has pointed out that they are almost out of the race for a Champions Trophy spot after losing so heavily against New Zealand. The Lankan Lions were bundled for a meagre 171 on a batting-friendly track at Bengaluru. The Blackcaps performed an easy chase by getting to the target in just 26.4 overs with five wickets in hand
While reviewing the match on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra opined that Sri Lanka’s chance for participation in the ICC Champions Trophy is over. He said, “Sri Lanka’s situation has been extremely ordinary. I feel they will bid goodbye to the Champions Trophy in the end because they are at No. 9. So their Champions Trophy is gone. They are not going to move up, all their matches are finished.”
Aakash Chopra praised New Zealand’s bowlers for taking complete advantage of the conditions early on and dominating the game from the start, He elaborated, “New Zealand won the toss and decided to bowl, and they came out firing on all cylinders. It seemed like they would get them all out for 25, wickets were falling one after the other. If Kusal Perera’s catch had been taken, the job would have been done and dusted.”
Kusal Perera, who smashed 51 off 28 balls was earlier dropped by Tom Latham but the Blackcaps were hunting from the other end. Eventually. The swashbuckling opener, Kusal Perera was dismissed in the 10th over leaving the team at a precarious 70/5. New Zealand bowlers were breathing fire and Sri Lanka was annihilated in that pretty well.
Aakash Chopra Criticises Sri Lanka’s Top Order
Aakash Chopra pointed out that Sri Lanka’s top order was shattered by the Kiwis. He explained, “The scoreboard was looking funny. Pathum Nissanka scored two, Kusal Mendis scored six, Sadeera Samarawickrama scored one, Charith Asalanka scored eight, and Angelo Mathews scored 16. Maheesh Theekshana and Dilshan Madushanka scored a few runs in the end and took them to 171 but nothing was going to happen.”
Chopra praised New Zealand’s aggressive and attacking approach in the run chase, which virtually sealed their spot in the semi-final. He stated, “New Zealand came to play with the intention of finishing it early. They knew that the bigger the margin of their win, the more difficult it would be for the others to knock them out. They lost four matches in a row, they weren’t a team like that. So it was a slight setback but they are back on track.”
The only chance for Sri Lanka to now qualify for the ICC Champions Trophy is if Bangladesh or England lose their respective matches against South Africa and Pakistan by a higher margin. If England’s NRR or Bangladesh’s NRR falls below Sri Lanka’s NRR then they still have a chance to make it to the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Sri Lanka had a complete disaster of a tournament in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 with only two wins in nine games.
