Sri Lanka’s cricketers will be depending more on individuals than a team effort to take them to the maximum at the upcoming T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA which starts on June 1.
The 15 member tour party left the country on Tuesday and the most senior player in the squad Angelo Mathews contends the side has plenty of brilliant individuals to deliver when it matters.
“We have several world class players in the team and players who can win a match single handed. That is something very pleasing to note”, said Mathews, a veteran of T20 Internationals who has played in 87 matches and will celebrate his 37th birthday on June 2, a day before Sri Lanka meets South Africa in their opening match of the World Cup.
But Mathews also cautioned against being complacent, as they will have to play their first three opening round matches against South Africa, Bangladesh and Nepal in the USA which will have new drop-in pitches prepared and grown in Australia and shipped ahead of the World Cup.
“I last played a match in the USA ten years ago and the pitches there were on the slow side. I don’t know how it is now and that is something we have to guard against. We have to adjust quickly”, said Mathews.
Sri Lanka will be captained by allrounder Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva who claimed he has the team he asked for although there had been speculation about some of the selections, especially the picking of spinner Dunith Wellalage who at age 21 is yet to play in a T20 International.
“It’s a well balanced side, I got the team that I wanted and we are well prepared,” said Hasaranga.
Sri Lanka squad:
Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva (captain), Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Kusal Mendis, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrema, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Matheesha Pathirana, Nuwan Thushara, Dilshan Madushanka
