New SL T20 CAPTAIN WANINDU HASARANGA SAYS:‘I won’t let captaincy get into my head
‘My main aim is to fix weak fielding without which it is useless however well we bat or bowl’
By Srian Obeyesekere
Sri Lanka’s new T20 Captain Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva, while announcing yesterday that his man priority area would be to ensuring that the weak link fielding department got into tip top rhythm, also made the point that he would not let the captaincy big mantle role to get into his head, but specifically focus on upping his performances with bat and ball as well as that of the team in looking to going forward successfully.
“Our fielding which as been a weak link has to be fixed if we are to go forward without which it is useless how much we may perform well in the batting and bowling. Therefore, fielding would be my topmost priority to ensuring that the team gets into winning ways,” aired Hasaranga addressing the media at the captain’s conference ahead of the T20 opener against Zimbabwe today at the R. Premadasa International Stadium.
“I do not wish to let the captaincy get into my head. My initial focus will be to upping my performances as an all-rounder as much as that of the others in gelling the team to a forceful combination,” he said in reply to my question as to whether he was confident of paving a new chapter in Sri Lanka cricket via the T20 international format.
The 26-year old Hasaranga, who marked his return to the international arena from a six-month long injury lay off that put him out of the 2023 world cup, said that he would as much be keen to reach the 100-wicket milestone of which he was three short when Sri Lanka takes on Zimbabwe today.
He plonked on his all-round ability with he bat when he said, “I do have the ability to change a game by my batting approach which I have proved in the past both at international and big bash level.”
His last such effort was when he batted out his Kandy side from a hopeless semi-final position in the 2023 Lanka Premier League to the finals which he unfortunately missed out with a hobbling ankle injury that put him out in that long hibernation.
ZIMBABWE CAPTAIN SIKANDAR RZA CONFIDENT OF BREAKING BLANK SHEET
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza said that he was confident of breaking his country’s blank sheet against Sri Lanka which has won all three T20 internationals between the two countries so far.
To my question as to how confident he was of leading his side from the front to that goal, Raza said, “I am confident of winning. As professionals we believe in our back stage work and plans to achieving what we aim for.”
He said that it was regrettable that the enthusiastic Sri Lankan cricket fans were robbed by the rains of the full measure of the cricket during the recent ODI series between the two countries.
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