Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka spoke highly of the side’s performance in the Asia Cup 2023 and said they are raring to go in the final and the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India.
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Sri Lanka, who co-hosted the ongoing regional championship with Pakistan, will be looking to defeat India and defend the title on Sunday. The island nation had lost the Super Four game to Rohit Sharma’s side.
All-rounder Dasun Shanaka said the team is doing well because the players consider themselves underdogs and want to perform well for the country.
“Yeah, [Sri Lanka are] peaking at the right time,” he said. “You know the boys deliberately want to deliver for the country. As a team, we’ve been underdogs, so everyone wants to perform on the bigger stage. These youngsters need to show the world what they are capable of. That’s the secret of this young team.”
He said the fans want to see youngsters Dunith Wellalage, Matheesha Pathirana, Charith Asalanka, Pathum Nissanka, and Sadeera Samarawickrama give match-winning performances.
Dasun Shanaka said Sri Lanka will have to give the same fighting performance they did against India in the Super Four stage if they are to win the title. He added that taking wickets is crucial for the side in the final.
“Of course, we are ready [for the Asia Cup 2023 final]. See, it totally depends on the pitch. The pitches have been playing a part in this tournament. According to the pitch stats, we are picking a good side, especially bowling against India, we need to take more wickets upfront. That opens the game for us. That’s a key area in the game,” he said.
Sri Lanka started the Asia Cup 2023 campaign by beating Bangladesh by five wickets. They qualified for the Super Four stage with a two-run win over Afghanistan.
They brushed aside Bangladesh by 21 runs in the Super Four stage but lost to finalists India by 41 runs. The side reached the final by securing a two-wicket win over Pakistan.
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