Sri Lanka secured their place at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 by breezing past Zimbabwe in their Super Six encounter on Sunday.
Maheesh Theekshana took four for 25 to bowl out Zimbabwe for 165 inside 33 overs before a century from Pathum Nissanka powered Dasun Shanaka’s side to a nine-wicket win.j
Maheesh Theekshana, Sri Lanka bowler batter and Player of the Match (4/25): “We had a good plan but I think after the first ten overs we hadn’t executed our plans well so sometimes you had to do it for the team. So I came back and had a chat with Dasun and said ‘We need to change something so I just changed something in the field and got a wicket. Because we lost Lahira [Kumara] I knew I had to bowl in the powerplay as well, but Dilshan came into the side and got the first three wickets and he got us the momentum. Sikandar [Raza] and Sean [Williams] were batting brilliantly in that period of time. So when I came back, I knew I had to get a wicket and get it settled down. I executed my plans well then and bowled better areas.”
Dasun Shanaka, Sri Lanka captain: “Coming for the qualifiers it is always tough, but still, we go through the process and we knew that with the team we have got here that we were going to qualify for the World Cup. Credit to the other teams they played really well in the tournament, some of the teams gave us some good fights in between, but still we are a better side. This bunch of players, they have got their own skills and they utilise the conditions over here really well and that is what is important. Knowing the strength of our bowling and batting, that is the key to success, we stick to our basics really well, whatever the conditions and whatever the situation is.”
On qualifying for the World Cup: “It’s a big achievement but still we know what we have done in the past in World Cups especially, we won the 1996 World Cup and were the 2011 runners-ups. We have been playing amazing cricket in the World Cup so it’s a much-needed thing for Sri Lanka to be up here in that big stage. Yes, there is pressure here but still the pressure begins on the big stage. So I think that World Cup ahead is the main focus and main target for us, we are waiting to deliver there as well.”