Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka said a lack of confidence on the field contributed to their six-wicket defeat against Zimbabwe national cricket team in the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Shanaka said: “The plan was simple, as usual. Take wickets upfront. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get that start with the ball. It’s a bit tough with newcomers coming in; they need some time to settle as well. But no excuses. We could have done slightly better. Some of my decisions were a bit of a gamble too. It was one of those days where we could have done better with the ball, but again, no excuses.”
He added: “Qualification is always good to have, but every game we play, we want to do well for the country. Yes, we rested Chameera today, but as I said, no excuses. We did reasonably well in all three departments, but I still think we could have done better. I feel we need to be more confident on the field. That’s something we lacked today.”
Pathum Nissanka’s 62 helped Sri Lanka in setting a target of 179. Zimbabwe openers Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani gave them a strong start with a 69-run opening stand. Bennett then added another 69-run partnership off 40 balls with captain Sikandar Raza.
Bennett anchored the chase, remaining unbeaten on 63 off 48 balls, including eight fours at a strike rate of 131.25, as Zimbabwe sealed the win.
