Asia Cup and World Cup brings perspective to Sri Lanka. – BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE
Asia Cup and World Cup appear to be two world’s apart. Ask Sri Lanka, they will confirm this in the affirmative.
Brimming with confidence and riding the crest of a wave since being crowned the champion of Asia, they were jolted into reality when unseeded Namibia brought them down to earth and reminded all in this unpredictable format, anything is possible.
A general outlook on the game suggests complacency, and a given anticipation that made Sri Lanka perceive they were above what was before them.
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Namibia made a strong case to be considered as the next top rung representative at World cricket when they embarrassed a cock – a – hoop Sri Lanka who are expected to be a serious challenge to the best in the world.
Sri Lanka for their part, are guilty of getting ahead of themselves when the had a stranglehold on their opponents early in the Namibia innings. A lacklustre last five overs by Sri Lanka’s paceman which went for a colossal 68 runs, put them under the pump and challenged to chase down a formidable 164-run target.
Their strong batting line-up looked formidable on paper but were guilty of erratic shot selection and inefficency in dealing with the controlled pace of the Nabian bowlers and the varied bounce of the wicket, swinging the game into Namiba’s favour.
The cagey Namibians who admitted they were happy to wear the underdog tag while being quietly confident of providing some upsets, delivered a clinical demolition job with the ball leaving the hapless Lankans shell shocked to snatch a 55-run win. It set the tone for a fascinating T20 World Cup which promises to deliver more of the unexpected as the tournament unfolds.
A capacity crowd in Geelong, mostly Sri Lankan, were silenced, apart from the Papare band, as the procession of Sri Lanka batsmen followed each other to the pavilion in quick succession none learning from the one before of the bounce and movement off the wicket which the Namibian bowlers were able to extract.
With Namibia delivering the shock of the World Cup in the opener, it will now be interesting to see if Sri Lanka can claw their way back and qualify for the main stage event. A change in mindset and focus will be coach Chris Silverwood’s tough task to rein his charges in if they hope to deliver what was expected of them pre tournament.
The thousands of Lankans in Geelong will be hoping their trek is made worthwhile.
In the next game in group A, Netherlands were stretched by UAE before pulling off a pulsating win with a ball to spare.
