Sri Lanka’s new generation starts mission today
Ireland and Netherlands lock horn in the day's first match. The Netherlands, led by Pieter Seelaar, started the warm-up matches with a hefty 31-run defeat at the hands of Scotland. However, they made a comeback by beating Oman in their second practice match on October 14. Ireland, on the other hand, will be going in to the game after back-to-back wins in the warm-ups. They began with a crushing eight-wicket win over PNG after which they beat Bangladesh.
Sri Lanka will enter unfamiliar territory today when they take on Namibia in their opening first round match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in Abu Dhabi.
It has undoubtedly been a transitional period for Sri Lanka over the past few years. Since the 2015 Cricket World Cup they've seen the likes of Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Rangana Herath, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekara and Thisara Perera retire. Given all seven features in the T20 World Cup winning side of 2014, that's a list of departures any nation would struggle to adjust to.
This month, they have the chance to show the world that the transitional phase is coming to an end and that they are ready to conquer cricket again.
Sri Lankan legend Aravinda de Silva admits there have been "issues with discipline" but the country which won the T20 World Cup seven years ago is on the way back, he says.
Also unable to shrug off corruption scandals, Sri Lanka fell outside the top eight when qualifying was decided for the upcoming World Cup, condemning them to the preliminaries against outsiders such as the Netherlands, Ireland and Namibia.
But as part of an overhaul, de Silva, vice-captain of the side that won the 50-over World Cup in 1996, was brought in to head Sri Lanka's cricket committee.
Another legend, Mahela Jayawardene, a member of the side that triumphed at the T20 World Cup in 2014, has been drafted in to mentor the team competing in the United Arab Emirates and Oman -- to give "confidence and support".
On the field, all-rounder Dasun Shanaka is the latest to take on the captain's role to bring order. "I think people have to understand it's a very young side," de Silva told AFP ahead of Sri Lanka's opening World Cup fixture.
Shanaka "has done well up to now", he added. "So, I guess we need to back these guys." "If you look at the Sri Lanka team, they've got talent, but maybe some of the positions, the way they approach the game in the batting lineup, could be changed to be that much more efficient and effective. Those kinds of thinking comes through experience and also understanding the game very well."
Meanwhile, Namibia have never previously qualified for a World Cup in this format and are ranked 19th. Namibia have quietly built a strong side ahead of the tournament but Sri Lanka at their best would probably be too much.
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