Confident Sri Lanka take on Emirate challenge to kick off WC Qualifiers
In a territory they have not ventured into before, Sri Lanka will utilise their years of experience to try and win the Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023 starting today in Zimbabwe.
Soaring highs and plunging lows during the last four years have pushed Sri Lanka into playing the qualifiers to grab one of the two remaining slots for the cricket showpiece in India. This is a rare occurrence, as they earned direct qualification ever since the tournament started in 1975.
Sri Lanka have been drawn with Ireland, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Scotland in Group B of the qualifiers and begin their campaign against UAE on Monday in Bulawayo. Hosts Zimbabwe are joined with West Indies, Netherlands, Nepal and USA in Group A.
Sri Lanka and West Indies are favourites to grab the two slots, given the quality of players and the wealth of experience each team possesses. But countries like Zimbabwe and Ireland could pose a strong challenge. Sri Lanka do not meet hosts Zimbabwe and Ireland in the first round but could playthem in the super six round.
To see off minnows UAE in their first outing on Monday would not be a tough ask from the 1996 Champions but Dasun Shanaka’s men will go at full throttle to score the first point on the table.
Little can be expected from the Arabs to challenge the high-ridding islanders, who recorded a coming-from-behind victory over Afghanistan in their most recent outing. The hosts lost the first match embarrassingly but won the next two matches convincingly to take the series 2-1, before heading to Zimbabwe.
Sri Lanka defeated Netherlands by three wickets in the first warm-up game following Dasun Shanaka’s unbeaten blitz of 67. They also had a convincing outing against USA in the second match, where Sri Lankan batters struck form. Dimuth Karunaratne(111 retired out) and Kusal Mendis(105) both hit centuries while Shanaka (61no) and Charith Asalanka(62no) bolstered the innings with quick-fire half-centuries as Sri Lanka hit 379.
Matheesha Pathirana then stood out with the ball, taking 4/23 to help bowl USA out for 174. Kasun Rajitha 2/28 and Wanindu Hasaranga 2/32 also proved tricky for the USA batters to deal with.
Team sources from Zimbabwe said Sri Lanka are likely to go with two spinners and two seam bowlers for Monday’s opening game with Dhananjaya de Silva and Shanaka to bowl 10-overs.
Accordingly, Dushmantha Chamaeera who did not play the two warm-up games is expected to lead the bowling attack along with Kasun Rajitha while Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga would be the two spinners.
`“It’s good to see Shanaka among runs,” said team source from Bulawayo. “We need him to fire at the back end of the innings and he did that in the two warm-up games. Karunaratne and Mendis are also in good form with the bat. It’s going to be an interesting tournament.”
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