‘It should have been different’ – Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka minces no words after the loss against Namibia
Namibia started the 20-20 World Cup qualification round on a superb note as they vanquished the champions of Asia by 55 runs. Namibia were tottering at 93-6, but a 70-run partnership between JJ Smit and Jan Frylinck put Namibia back on the road. Then the bowlers skittled out Sri Lanka for just 108 runs to script a famous win for the African nation.
When the match ended, Sri Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka attended the press conference where he was quick to express his displeasure, where he pointed out that,
“The way we played is the worry. I think they (seam bowlers) tried too much. We didn’t execute our plans well. I think we went for the yorkers and we didn’t execute with low full tosses and half volleys. I think that’s where it went wrong. I think if they had stuck to that hard length, wicket-to-wicket, like the Namibian bowlers did really, really well, it should have been different.”
We had to keep it simple – Dasun Shanaka
When the left-arm pacer Dilshan Madushanka got injured, it caused a headache for the Sri Lankan skipper, as he was left scratching his head for answers. Madushanka was instrumental in Sri Lanka winning the Asia Cup title. With the loss against Namibia, Sri Lanka are starring down the barrel with regards to their qualification chances in this edition. The loss has also thrown Group A wide open.
“I think the surface played really well but the execution was not there when it comes to the bowling. We’re concerned whether our bowlers bowled in the right areas as compared to the Namibian bowlers. We also wanted the first three batters to continue in the first play, so losing three wickets in the first powerplay put us out of the game. [Next game] the plan should be simple, not to do anything special. It’s about process. When chasing 160 you need good partnerships at the top and numbers three and four to kick in. The bowlers especially they need to hit their areas,” he added.
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