ICC T20 World Cup 2022: Did Not Bowl In Right Areas, Need Top Order To Come Good: Dasun Shanaka After Embarrassing Defeat Against Namibia

Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka said that the bowlers needed to improve and the top order should perform better after their 55-run loss to Namibia in their Group A match at the ICC T20 World Cup 2022.

In their Group A, round one game of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 at Geelong on Sunday, an all-around Namibia pulled off an upset for the ages by defeating Asia Cup 2022 champions Sri Lanka by 55 runs.

Namibia was allowed to bat first and had a rocky start. Although the innings’ intent was always clear, wickets continued to fall frequently. Namibia’s score after 15 overs was 95/6. However, they picked up the pace in the final five overs and scored 68 runs. Their team reached 163/7 in 20 overs thanks to Jan Frylinck’s (44 off 28 balls) and JJ Smit’s (31* off 16 balls) contributions.

The most impressive Sri Lankan bowler was Pramod Madushan (2/37) A wicket was taken by Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Chamika Karunaratne, and Wanindu Hasaranga.

As Sri Lanka attempted to reach their target of 164, Namibia’s outstanding bowling and some electrifying fielding performances took them by surprise. The Asian champions were bowled out for just 108 runs and lost the game by a margin of 55 runs. Only captain Dasun Shanaka (29 off 23 balls) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (20 off 21 balls) could muster any respectable runs.

‘We did not execute well with the ball’: Dasun Shanaka

Dasun Shanaka said that the bowlers needed to improve and the top order needed to perform better after their 55-run loss to Namibia in their Group A match at the ICC T20 World Cup 2022.

“We did not execute well with the ball. We did not bowl in the right areas and that is a concern. We are a good team. We just need some partnerships. We need the openers to come good and the No. 3 to click,” said Shanaka in a post-match presentation.

Frylinck was titled with the ‘Man of the Match award for his all-round performance. He scored 44 and took 2/26 with the ball.

Also Read: IND vs PAK: Watch: Impressed With 11-Year-Old, Rohit Sharma Invites Him To Bowl To Him In The Nets