Sri Lanka has to improve its fielding to compete for the T20 World Cup this year, according to newly appointed short-format skipper Wanindu Hasaranga on Saturday.
Hasaranga is on a high following a career-best 7-19 against Zimbabwe in Thursday’s ODI final, and he will make his debut as captain on Sunday, when the tour’s 20-over leg starts.
Poor fielding has long been a concern for Sri Lanka in white-ball cricket, with 16 missed catches in last year’s one-day World Cup in India relegating them to second-bottom position on the points table.
“I have told the team at the outset that fielding will be very important,” he was quoted as saying.
“Regardless of how well you bat or bowl, if you don’t field well, you’ll struggle to get to the side.” “Fielding is unavoidable,” he continued.
“We have five months till the World Cup… Fielding is the simplest method for us to develop our cricket, and it may be the difference between winning and losing in T20.”
Following a hamstring injury, Hasaranga returned to internationals for the first time in six months on Thursday, setting a new ODI bowling record at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Sri Lanka has reinstated veteran Angelo Mathews to the team, and he is set to play in his first T20I since March 2021 on Sunday.
Pathum Nissanka, the opening batsman, was also back in training after missing the ODI series due to sickness.
All three T20 matches against Zimbabwe will be held in Colombo, with the series wrapping off on January 18.
After that, Sri Lanka will host Afghanistan for one Test and six white-ball matches.