Lankans eyeing to continue winning ways
‘Api thamai hondatama kare’–’We did it best’–is now a widely circulated political slogan in Sri Lanka. And there were cries of it around the Sharjah Cricket Stadium when Sri Lanka trounced hapless Netherlands in their final qualifying game on Friday.
Fans were ecstatic over the team’s entry to the next round, the tough phase of the 12-team competition. The win sent positive vibes to Sri Lankans fans who now believe the team’s new found on-field energy will spur them to greater success in the tournament.
While their wins were against weaker sides, even critics are now saying not to underestimate Sri Lanka, as they take on Bangladesh today in Sharjah. Forced to qualify for the first time since the tournament was introduced in 2007, the 2014 T20 world champions were under pressure, given how they have performed in the lead-up to the tour.
But the islanders won all their three games convincingly to qualify for the main draw. They started off the qualifying round with a 7-wicket win over Namibia and followed it up with a 70-run win over Ireland and a comprehensive 8-wicket win over the Netherlands.
Group 1 features some big names in white-ball cricket. The defending champions West Indies, England, South Africa, Australia, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are all pitted against each other with an eye on a semi-final spot. The top two teams from each group will go through.
Sri Lanka’s bowling attack has been impressive. Former West Indian fast bowler turned commentator Ian Bishop said on air, “This is a serious bowling attack that sends a message to the rest of the teams in the tournament,” after seeing how they demolished the Netherlands.
Their pace trio–Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera and Lahiru Kumara–are in brilliant form while the spin bowling duo of Wanindu Hasaranga and 21-year-old Meheesh Theekshana have dominated, sharing 14 wickets between them.
Captain Dasun Shanaka confirmed that Theekshana would be rested for today’s game following a side strain he sustained during his game against the Netherlands. Akila Dananjaya is expected to come in.
They have also maintained a high standard in fielding. Direct hits are often achieved and tough catches are held on to. However, they still need to sort out their top order batting.
Kusal Janith Perera, finally got into the groove, scoring a 33 off 24 balls. Pathum Nissanka had a good outing against Ireland, scoring 61, but their No.3 issue remains unsolved. Misfiring Dinesh Chandimal was replaced by Charith Asalanka in the final qualifying game, but he too did not seem to grab it either, scoring just six runs.
Shanaka is not overly worried about this, as he believes Sri Lanka has several match-winning batters, even if one fails.
“We have brought the best squad we have,” he said, at a virtual pre-match press conference yesterday.
“Yes, we have had an issue with that position but that doesn’t mean we cannot win matches. We have enough batters who can win matches for us.”
Their opponent, Bangladesh, is a decent side. They had a shock defeat against Scotland but came back strongly to win both remaining games against Papua New Guinea and Oman emphatically, to earn their spot in the Super 12s.
Spin-heavy Bangladesh will go full throttle against Sri Lanka but Shanaka says they have plans to counter them. Shakib Al-Hasan, the spinning all-rounder, will be Sri Lanka’s biggest threat in Sharjah.
| Squads: Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (Capt), Kusal Janith Perera (wk), Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Avishka Fernando, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Akila Dananjaya, Lahiru Kumara Bangladesh (from): Mahmudullah (Capt), Mohammad Naim, Soumya Sarkar, Liton Das (wk), Shakib Al-Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Mohammad Saifuddin, Shamim Hossain | |
Final Standings
