T20 World Cup: Dasun Shanaka reflects on a loss to Australia

Dasun Shanaka (Source: Twitter)

Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka opened up on the loss to Australia in Match 19 of the T20 World Cup 2022 on Tuesday (October 25) in Perth. 

Batting first, Sri Lanka lost their key batter Kusal Mendis in the second over. However, the duo of Pathum Nissanka (40) and Dhananjaya de Silva (26) added 67 runs for the second wicket and steered the team at a brisk rate. 

Then, Charith Asalanka held the innings together, as Bhanuka Rajapaksa failed to provide contributions. In the end, Asalanka remained unbeaten on 38* and Chamika Karunaratne hit 14* off 7 to help Sri Lanka post 157 on the board. 

In reply, Australian batters looked rusty in the first 10 overs. Nevertheless, Glenn Maxwell kickstarted the momentum with his quickfire 23. At the other end, Aaron Finch played an anchor role, while Marcus Stoinis played one of his best knocks to amass an unbeaten 59 off 18 to take the team home, with 21 balls to spare. 

In the post-match presentation, Shanaka thinks they fell short by 20 runs on the batting front, while also highlighting the struggle of fast bowlers due to injury. Furthermore, the 31-year-old credited Australia for their late blitz in the latter part of the innings. 

"We started really well and finished well, but we didn't get going in the middle overs. I think we could have missed 15-20 runs. Fast bowlers didn't prepare well, they are coming after injuries. That's the reason behind getting them injured. 

"It was tough with the new ball due to the spongy bounce. Even Finch struggled against the new ball. They played really well in the latter part."

Sri Lanka will next face New Zealand in a must-win encounter on Saturday (October 29) in Sydney. 

Read more: Marcus Stoinis smashes quickest fifty to take Australia home