Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - Sri Lanka's captain, Dasun Shanaka, said that winning the Asia Cup will help the team prepare for t...
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| Image: Reuters |
Berita 24 English - Sri Lanka's captain, Dasun Shanaka, said that winning the Asia Cup will help the team prepare for the Twenty20 World Cup next month. Batsman Bhanuka Rajapaksa called it a "great win" for the island nation, which is going through a tough economic time.
Sri Lanka won the Asia Cup for the sixth time on Sunday. They beat Pakistan in the final by 23 runs thanks to great batting from Rajapaksa and all-around play from Wanindu Hasaranga.
Sri Lanka won the T20 World Cup in 2014. On Oct. 16, they will play Namibia in a qualifying game for the World Cup.
Shanaka told reporters, "We played in the qualifiers last year, too. It's the same set-up from three or four years ago."
"We played last year's qualifiers as well ... it's the set-up that has come through from three or four years back," Shanaka told reporters.
"The last two years were really good for us ... and winning Asia Cup will really help for the ... World Cup.
"The World Cup qualifiers will help as well because we will play in those conditions before the main tournament happens so it'll be really good for us."
Rajapaksa, who didn't lose a single game in the final and scored 71, said that the team wanted to show "aggression."
"Back in the 1980s, we all just wanted to show the world that we had some kind of aggression in us. And we wanted to make more of those times. I think that, as a group, we are doing that very well right now "he said.
"We also want to be excited about the World Cup and keep this going.
"I think it's a great win for Sri Lanka as a whole. With all the trouble at home, these are hard times for Sri Lankans, so we're glad and hope we made them smile."
