• Home
  • Who Said What
  • Cannot Rely On Toss Charith Asalanka Admits Sri Lankas Batting Woes Amid Pakistan Game

"Cannot rely on toss": Charith Asalanka admits Sri Lanka's batting woes amid Pakistan game

Akshita Patel

Charith Asalanka backs Sri Lanka to beat Pakistan [Source: AFP Photos]Charith Asalanka backs Sri Lanka to beat Pakistan [Source: AFP Photos]

Sri Lanka’s middle-order star and captain Charith Asalanka has said that his team is not worried about the toss ahead of their crucial Asia Cup 2025 Super Four clash against Pakistan on Tuesday at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

The Lankans entered the Super Four stage with 3 consecutive wins in the group stage, all achieved while chasing targets.

However, in their first Super Four match, they batted first against Bangladesh at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium and suffered a four-wicket defeat.

Charith Asalanka refuses to deem the toss a decisive factor

Despite the setback, Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka, speaking at a pre-match press conference, insisted that the toss will not have a major impact on their performance against Pakistan.

“In the first round, Sri Lanka successfully chased down targets in all three matches. In the Super 4s, however, we had to bat first. I don’t think the toss will have a major impact. Statistics suggest that the team batting second often has an advantage at Dubai Stadium, but we cannot rely on the toss. As professionals, we must manage these situations," Asalanka said.

Asalanka further acknowledged that Sri Lanka could have batted better against Bangladesh after they folded on 168/7 in the first inning.

"We batted well, and at one point we thought we could reach around 180–185, but we could have done slightly better in the final two hours. Unfortunately, it simply wasn’t our day,” he added.

Asalanka sets eyes on Asia Cup 2025 final

Looking ahead, Charith Asalanka remained confident about Sri Lanka’s chances in the tournament. He claims that with a victory against Pakistan, the dream of playing the Asia Cup 2025 final will remain alive.

“Yes, we are fully aware that this is a must-win game for us. It’s an extremely important Super 4 fixture, especially after our heavy defeat against Bangladesh in the previous match. But we have to put that behind us and focus on the matches ahead. If we can win the next two games, reaching the final is entirely possible."

Currently, Sri Lanka sits third in the Super Four points table with a net run rate of -0.121. Overall, the match against Pakistan later will be a significant test for the Lankans as they seek to bounce back from their recent loss and show that they are capable of dealing with pressure moments in the Asia Cup.