Asia Cup a litmus test for Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka and Wanindu Hasaranga are greeted by fans at Sri Lanka Cricket headquarters before they board the team bus to the airport yesterday

Sri Lanka cricketer Dhananjaya de Silva bids adieu to his child and wife

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Sri Lanka’s current ranking in T20 International cricket and their current form don’t make them a team that is going to shake the very foundations of the 2022 Asia Cup, but yet for all they are a very dangerous side on their day.

If Sri Lanka play to their full potential there is no knowing where they will end up, but at the same time they can also disappoint. They have in their ranks a world class player in the form of leg-spinning all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga, but he alone cannot win a tournament for you. The rest must chip in especially the batsmen who have time and again failed to put up a competitive total to give the bowlers enough space to work with.

Therefore, it was no surprise when the captain Dasun Shanaka said on the eve of the team’s departure to Dubai yesterday: “Our hopes revolve on our batting, if our batsmen can produce what is required from them, we have the bowlers to do the job for us.”

“Although Dushmantha Chameera is injured there is Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, (Jeffrey) Vandersay, Asitha Fernando and Dilshan Madushanka who can make it a good contest.”

“In T20 cricket all the batsman cannot be successful but the batsman who settles down should go and make a big contribution for us to win. If you play 6-7 batters at least 2 or 3 will not perform. When we play in Sri Lanka the wickets are different, they are slow. In Dubai I expect good wickets. We must plan according to the conditions.” 

Shanaka said that there are three batsmen vying for the two openers slot. “We are in discussion at the moment and not decided who will open. Recently Pathum Nissanka performed well and there is Kusal Mendis and Danushka Gunathilaka. Sometimes one of them will have to bat down the order, but they are prepared to bat in any position they are given.”

Sri Lanka’s opening match is against Afghanistan on 27 August followed by Bangladesh five days later on 1 September - both at Dubai.

“Our first two matches are going to be quite competitive. We know what Afghanistan can do but I am confident of my team performing well against them,” said Shanaka. “We are concerned about how good our team is. There is no point thinking about the opposition and what they can do. If we play to our potential, I don’t think it will be difficult to beat them.”

Only thing that Sri Lanka can draw comfort from is the ICC T20 team rankings, where they are placed eighth above Bangladesh (9th) and Afghanistan (10th), the two teams they will play in their group (Group B). 

Other than that Sri Lanka’s performance in the shortest format has been rather patchy, winning only two of their last 11 T20 Internationals since the T20 World Cup in the UAE in November 2021. Those two wins came against Australia – one at Melbourne and the other at Pallekele.

Thus, in the upcoming Asia Cup, Sri Lanka has a lot to prove before getting onto the big stage in another two months’ time for the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia. It is a litmus test for Sri Lanka to know where they stand in the present context as a T20I team.