Categories: Sports

Karunaratne backs Sri Lanka batting to find form against Pakistan

Sri Lanka cannot afford another sloppy batting display if they are to beat a resurgent Pakistan and record a first World Cup win over their subcontinent rivals on Friday, captain Dimuth Karunaratne said.
In a topsy-turvy affair on Tuesday, Sri Lanka claimed a narrow win over outsiders Afghanistan in Cardiff after the 1996 World Cup winners were bowled out for a modest 201.
It was the second consecutive match in which Sri Lanka’s batting failed to deliver, having been bundled out for 136 in a 10-wicket defeat against New Zealand on Saturday.
“I think if you are playing any big team, you have to do the basic things, you have to put some runs on the board and give a chance for the bowlers to take wickets,” Karunaratne told a news conference on Thursday.
“I saw a good team spirit there (against Afghanistan) and the fielding and bowling unit did a good job. Now … the batting line-up have to put their hands up and do the job.
“If we can put a good total on this wicket, a good flat wicket … then our bowlers can defend it, I’m pretty sure of that.”
Karunaratne believes that Kusal Perera’s aggressive intent at the top of the order could again prove the difference after the left-hander scored 78 against Afghanistan when pushed to open the innings ahead of Lahiru Thirimanne.
“I know Kusal, what he can do, because I’ve played with him a lot of times,” the Sri Lankan skipper said.
“I want to give him a chance to go for it and give him the licence, a free hand, and then if someone gets out Thirimanne can go there and play the anchor role. I think this is the best batting line-up we can produce.”
Pakistan, who have won all seven of their World Cup encounters against Sri Lanka, arrive at Bristol with a confidence-boosting victory over tournament favourites England.
“We may not have won against Pakistan in the World Cup, but it doesn’t bother us,” Karunaratne said.
“It’s just another one-day international for us, so if we perform well on that day we can win.”
Conditions
The forecast for Bristol is mostly cloudy, with intermittent showers expected throughout Friday. Including West Indies’ 421 in the warm-up game, the ground has witnessed three 350+ scores inside the last one month.
Squads
Pakistan: Sarfaraz Ahmed (c, wk), Asif Ali, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Imam-ul-Haq, Shadab Khan, Shoaib Malik, Wahab Riaz, Haris Sohail, Imad Wasim, Fakhar Zaman
Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Avishka Fernando, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews, Jeevan Mendis, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kusal Perera (wk), Thisara Perera, Nuwan Pradeep, Dhananjaya de Silva, Milinda Siriwardana, Lahiru Thirimanne, Isuru Udana, Jeffrey Vandersay

Lankanewspapers

Recent Posts

LNP – President calls on state employees to fulfill people’s aspirations

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated that if the current government fails to meet the expectations…

1 day ago

LNP – Discrepancies in issuance of permits to expatriate workers to import electric vehicles

There have been abuses in the issuance of permits for expatriate workers to import electric…

1 day ago

LNP – Third review approved by IMF, SL to get next US$ 333 million tranche

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) reached a staff level agreement with Sri Lankan authorities, paving…

1 day ago

LNP – Sri Lanka: One of the best ethical and sustainable sourcing destinations

Sri Lanka Embassy in Brussels participated at the European Parliament “Fair Trade Breakfast-2024”, on 13…

3 days ago

LNP – Jetstar Asia eyes Colombo as key market for regional growth and tourism

etstar Asia yesterday launched its Colombo-Singapore direct route positioning itself as the only low-cost carrier…

3 days ago

LNP – Sri Lanka revealed as most popular solo travel destination for 2025

Solo travellers are getting older and are increasingly drawn to Asian destinations – with Sri…

3 days ago