"That was a decision made as a team with our current strength" - Wanindu Hasaranga on batting first in SL vs SA T20 World Cup 2024 match
Sri Lanka had a miserable start to their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign as they suffered a disappointing loss against South Africa in a low-scoring game. The Islanders weren’t able to do much in the first innings, and skipper Wanindu Hasaranga explained the reason behind opting to bat first.
Though the toss went in Sri Lanka’s favor, the game didn’t. South African bowlers dominated the first innings as Anrich Nortje registered the best bowling figures (4/7) by a Proteas bowler in the Men’s T20 World Cup history.
Even while chasing a below-par target of 78 runs, the South African batters struggled and stretched the game till the 17th over before finally winning it. The pitch at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium turned out to be a tricky one as both sides failed to put up a show with the bat on the surface.
Speaking about his decision to bat first in the post-match press conference, Hasaranga said:
“Yeah, especially in this big tournament. These wickets are very hard, especially in T20s, and their bowlers bowled really well and our bowlers have bowled well as well. Still, we did a lot of mistakes. Our strength is bowling, so we thought that we could win the toss, put some score on the board, and pressure them. Because we know our bowling, we have won the past few T20 matches. So that was a decision made as a team with our current strength.”
Though it looked like a one-sided affair after Sri Lanka were held to 77 in 19.1 overs, the surface posed further difficulties for the batters. The Proteas could only accumulate 47 runs in 10 overs while also losing two wickets.
"We kept bowling for 16 overs for them to reach the score of 70" – Wanindu Hasaranga on SL bowlers posing a threat in a low-scoring game
Hasaranga exuded confidence in his team and praised the bowlers for their efforts even after the team posted a low target. The Lankan bowlers gave the Proteas batters a run for their money, taking the game till the 17th over.
In the press conference, Hasaranga further spoke about his bowlers’ efforts and how they built pressure on the opposition.
“But we saw that how the pressure that we gave them was, even though we bowled second. We kept bowling for 16 overs for them to reach the score of 70. So, I see there is nothing wrong with the decision that we made, but the target we set was not right. Even though the wicket was that hard, we were having a big target as a team till the end, and I think we identified it later. That's what happened there,” Hasaranga stated.
Sri Lanka will face Bangladesh in their next T20 World Cup contest on Saturday, June 8, in Dallas.