ICC T20 World Cup 2022: Sri Lanka Depart For Australia Confident Of T20 World Cup Success

Dasun Shanaka, the captain of Sri Lanka, thinks that having to play in the opening round of the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup may really be to their favour. 

The Asian nation will now need to finish in the top two of their first round group, which includes Namibia, the Netherlands, and the UAE, just to keep their hopes of winning a second T20 World Cup alive. They were unable to immediately qualify for the Super 12 round of the competition in Australia. 

Sri Lanka will have the opportunity to acclimate to the weather Down Under before their initial first round encounter against Namibia on October 16 when they take on Zimbabwe and Ireland in crucial warm-up matches prior to the tournament starting. 

The Qualifying Round Will Be To Our Advantage: Dasun Shanaka

And Shanaka believes that taking part in all those games will give his team a clear edge as the competition approaches its conclusion in the middle of November. 

“The last T20 World Cup (in UAE) we played the qualifying round and got into the tournament proper because we adapted to the ground conditions we had an advantage,” Shanaka said prior to Sri Lanka departing for Australia on Saturday.

“The five matches which we are due to play in Australia will be to our advantage because we can read the conditions and the wickets going into the Super 12. 

“From ground to ground the dimensions change, the bowlers need a lot of variations. They cannot succeed with one or two variations. We must prepare well for it. The bowlers have an idea of what is expected of them

“The batsmen, we have spoken about how the top order batsmen are going to play in the Powerplay. We have set a good standard in fielding and our intention is to take our processes forward.

I am always concerned about the process, it all depends on the day how you deliver. If we make the right decisions and do the right things on that day we can win.” 

Sri Lanka Coach Chris Silverwood Caution Not To Take Any Opponents Easy

Chris Silverwood, the coach of Sri Lanka, who guided the team to victory at the Asia Cup last month, shared the captain’s comments but cautioned his squad not to assume their first-round opponents will be an easy out. 

“You have to treat the teams with the same respect like you would against teams like India, Australia or England,” the experienced coach said. 

“We have to beat them, we have to make sure we do well. To me as a team we really should instil our disciplines and make sure we win.” 

“There are always areas to improve like setting totals which we did really well in the final (Asia Cup). It is something we haven’t done a great deal and something for us to think about. Equally, the bowling, we are still working on the yorkers to make it successful on Australian wickets. There is constant work in progress.” 

“What has impressed me most are quite a few things. Firstly, their willingness to learn, willingness to adapt and try new things which is really refreshing. You’ve seen the results of that. The camaraderie in the team.

When I arrived, I said the talent was awesome, I think they have shown us on the big stage against big teams as well. It’s a combination of all these things put together that makes it an exciting prospect.” 

Also Read: ICC T20 World Cup 2022: “Jasprit Bumrah Has Gone To NCA, Waiting For An Official Confirmation”- Rahul Dravid