Colombo, Feb 5
Though his team is facing a severe backlash from the fans over their recent poor performances, including a series defeat to England at home, Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka on Thursday urged his players to focus on a step-by-step approach as they enter the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 to be played at their home.
Shanaka also stressed the importance of experience, team responsibility, and maintaining the nation's proud record in ICC events hosted on home soil.
Speaking at the captains' media briefing in Colombo, Shanaka said the team's preparations had been encouraging despite results not always going their way. Sri Lanka recently lost to England at their home in the T20I series, which has raised eyebrows about their preparation.
"Yeah, so the preparations were good from my perspective. It's not the results that came our way. So, extremely happy about the bowling unit and the way they executed, especially Chameera, Pathirana, and even Maheesh Theekshana, who bowled well in the last game," Shanaka said.
The fans were so enraged after Sri Lanka lost the series to England at Palekelle that they wanted the entire team disbanded, and the selection committee sacked.
Shanaka admitted there were concerns with the batting unit, which were clearly visible during the England series, but expressed confidence in the experience within the squad.
"Yeah, there were some concerns with the batting, but hopefully we'll get through this. You know, we have quite an experienced batting line-up, so it's totally dependent on the individuals to show their specialities in the World Cup," the Sri Lanka skipper added.
With Sri Lanka hosting a World Cup after a gap of 14 years, Shanaka said the team's immediate focus would be on the opening round, starting with their match against Ireland at the R. Premadasa Stadium. "Actually, we hope to go step by step, because the first round is very important. We have the focus on the first match; we start from the match with Ireland at the Keththarama grounds," he said.
Highlighting the importance of batting consistency, Shanaka underlined the need for top-order players to bat deep into the innings. "Actually, it's very important to have batting skills, especially for the first players to keep playing up until the end of the inning," he noted.
Reflecting on Sri Lanka's proud history in ICC tournaments hosted at home, where the team has reached the finals of all the ICC events hosted by them since 1996, Shanaka stressed the importance of collective effort to uphold that legacy.
"We should protect that pride! I think I'm just one player; it's important for the other 14 players as well. So, I think they also have that pride; we have to perform as a team. At the end, we hope that we can protect that pride," he said.
Shanaka feels that the limited match experience of the players was the main reason behind their team's inability to reach the semi-finals since 2014. However, he is confident that this will change in 2026.
"During the past tournaments, the players who attended were less experienced. I think by now, by the 2026 World Cup, they are in a higher place with the experiences," he said, adding that players now have a responsibility to give back to Sri Lanka Cricket.
Shanaka also provided an update on Pacer Eshan Malinga, who was injured during the England series. "Actually, at the moment, it's very uncertain. I think his condition is being assessed. Very soon, a full report will be given about him," he said.
Sri Lanka will begin their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign on February 8 against Ireland at R. Premadasa Stadium.
- IANS
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