It’s a great irony that the defending Asian T20I champions had to fight in the qualifiers to book a berth in the Super 12 round of the T20 World Cup 2022. That’s the surprising story of Sri Lanka who arrive Down Under on the back of a superb Asia Cup 2022 victory, but the harsh reality is they need to cross a few hurdles. The showpiece event begins next Sunday, and Dasun Shanaka’s team will face Namibia in the first game of Round 1. But they have found a wizard in newly-appointed head coach Chris Silverwood who is believed to have turn the fortunes of 2014 T20 World Champions.
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The Lankans are placed in Group A, along with Namibia, United Arab Emirates and the Netherlands. Similarly, the likes of the West Indies, Scotland, Ireland and Zimbabwe are placed in Group B. Top two teams of each group will move to the next round which begins from October 22, with clashes in Sydney and Perth.
Out of all 8 participants of Round 1, Sri Lanka stands out not just because they have won the Asia Cup but also because Shanaka’s boys have certainly discovered the art of winning games. The side that was beaten 3-0 on Indian soil earlier in March, bounced back a few months later and emerged as the new Asian champions. And now the trophy awaits one of its former champions to make others feel their presence in Australia.
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Prior to their opening first-round match against Namibia on October 16, Sri Lanka will get the chance to acclimatise to the conditions Down Under when they take on Zimbabwe and Ireland in vital warm-up matches prior to the tournament commencing.
How they fared last time?
Sri Lanka were in a similar position almost a year ago when the T20 World Cup 2021 was held in the UAE. Though they were on top of their group in Round 1, but things went south when they started competing in the Super 12.
Placed in Group 1 with England, Australia, South Africa, the West Indies and Bangladesh, Sri Lanka managed to win just 2 games out of 5. They defeated Bangladesh and the West Indies to finish 4th on the points table of their group with a negative net run rate of -0.269.
Players to watch out for
Wanindu Hasaranga: No matter how Sri Lanka’s track record was last year, the 2021 edition of the T20 World Cup will always be remembered for Hasaranga’s hat-trick against South Africa. He has been moving onwards and upwards since then. In 2022, the star Lankan spinner has taken 19 wickets in 11 games. In the Asia Cup 2022, he picked up back-to-back 3-fers against Pakistan and will be raring to go once he gets in action on Aussie soil.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa: The Lankan middle-order stands on the back of Rajapaksa and a glimpse of that was seen in the Asia Cup 2022 final. He top-scored with 45-ball 71 not out, to shoulder the limping Sri Lanka innings. He smashed 3 sixes and 6 boundaries as his quick and stupendous knock helped his post set a challenging 171-run target.
Dasun Shanaka: The Sri Lankan skipper has been the guiding light for his team. A player always needs to be backed and Shanaka never hesitates in doing the same. Be it his leadership, picking up wickets at crucial moments or supporting the innings with the bat in hand, Dasun Shanaka has proved himself as one of the finest skippers to lead the side when it’s going through a transition.
Sri Lanka Squad:
Dasun Shanaka (c), Danushka Gunathilaka, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera (subject to fitness), Lahiru Kumara (subject to fitness), Dilshan Madushanka, Pramod Madushan.
Standby Players: Ashen Bandara, Praveen Jayawickrema, Dinesh Chandimal, Binura Fernando, Nuwanidu Fernando.
Sri Lanka’s fixtures in Round 1
October 16: vs Namibia
October 18: vs UAE
October 20: vs the Netherlands
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