Avishka wants improvement in every game
Gunawardene: So far so good for him
After Sri Lanka’s epic win of 274 runs against Kuwait on Thursday at the ongoing Under-19 Asia Cup which is currently in progress in the United Arab Emirates, the Head Coach Avishka Gunawardene stated that his side will continue to play the new-found brand of cricket they have adopted in the coming games.
Ahead of Sunday’s game against Group ‘B’ rivals Nepal, Gunawardene is keen that his players will carry forward the same attitude they showed in the middle three days before, keeping in mind of the ICC Youth World Cup coming up in three more weeks.
“It was a good start to the tournament, all the batters got a hit in the middle and got a chance to get use to the conditions and surroundings. Also it was good to see them putting up a big total batting first, not taking even a side like Kuwait lightly,” Gunawardene told the Sunday Times.
Electing to bat, Sri Lanka Under-19s piled up 323 runs for the loss of five wickets, maintaining an impressive run rate of 6.46 per over. Then the islanders, spearheaded by skipper Dunith Wellalage, skittled out Kuwait for 49 inside 18 overs.
“That’s the way forward and that’s what we have been discussing in the dressing room, no matter who the opposition is, we need to main our standards and improve with every game,” Gunawardene added.
Sri Lanka will confidently go out today against Nepal, another low-ranked side from the region but with uncanny talent. But Gunawardene wants to see his team play that brand of cricket, similar to their seniors, against any opposition how good or bad they could be.
“The same attitude will continue (as against Kuwait) in our next game against Nepal on Sunday. We are going all out to win the game with the intention of booking a berth in the semi-finals early. If all goes according to our plan on Sunday, we might consider doing some changes, tactical, against Bangladesh, as we may meet them again in the final,” revealed the former southpaw opener.
Player-of-the-match Pawan Pathiraja top scored for Sri Lanka with an enterprising 65-ball 86, which included 11 boundaries while openers Chamindu Wickramasinghe and Shevon Daniel scored 54 runs each, in different styles. Wickramasinghe faced 57 balls and hit five fours and a six while Daniel’s knock came in 65 balls with four boundaries and a six.
One-down bat Sadisha Rajapaksa scored a 37-ball 35 with four boundaries while Ranuda Somaratne remained unbeaten on 60 off 57 deliveries, with four boundaries and a six as skipper Wellalage hit a cameo of 19 in 11 balls with a four and a six.
To bundle out the Kuwaitis for a meagre 49, the skipper led from the front to claim four scalps conceding just two runs in 1.3 overs. Sadisha Rajapaksa picked three wickets giving away just four runs in his five overs while Matheesha Pathirana bowled three overs to claim two wickets for seven runs. All this coming in the first outing itself is considered a confidence booster according to Gunawardene.
“It’s always difficult to play the first game, even if it’s against a mediocre side. Now that we have overcome that let’s hope that all will work out according to plans. It’s a good confident booster to all, yet we are not going to put our guard down or take any team lightly. We will continue to play a good game each time we are taking on any side,” he stressed.
If all goes well today against Nepal, Sri Lanka will probably consider doing a few changes against Bangladesh on Tuesday. But the whole process, which started off with two home series wins of 5-0 and 3-2 against Bangladesh and England few weeks ago, is pointed at the ICC Youth World Cup, where a total of 16 international Under-19 sides vie for the biggest honour.
“In a tactical move, we might rest few guys and we don’t want everyone to show their best hand because the World Cup is around the corner. That all will happen depending on our next games.”
Moving forward Sri Lanka will enter the semi-finals if they win at least one game. If they win both group games remaining, they will top Group ‘B’ and will meet one of the top two sides from Group ‘A’ — India or Pakistan. The semi-finals are scheduled for December 30 at two venues, Sharjah and Dubai, followed by the final on January 1, 2022 at Dubai.