Colombo, February 19 – Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat against Zimbabwe in their Group B match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Thursday.
Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka, after winning the toss, said, "Our batsmen need to score runs. That's why I'm happy to bat first. Madushanka will be playing straight into the XI. Dushmantha Chameera is rested, and Pramod Madushan will replace him. It's a World Cup, and we need our best players in the playing XI. It's unfortunate, but we have to deal with it. The batsmen have played outstandingly, which has given us a lot of confidence. At the same time, Pathirana and Wanindu got injured, but the replacements have done a great job for us. That's the key. Also, our fielding has improved a lot. We have done superbly well in all the areas we wanted to work on. Hopefully, we can carry this into the next round.”
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza said, "Looking at the conditions and the chance of rain, playing under lights is better for us, based on our previous experience. So it's a win-win situation. Our bowlers are confident, and the conditions give them the best chance. Hopefully, we can restrict them to a low score. As a group, it changes a lot for us. Topping the group and going into the Super stage is a big achievement. We know there will be a full house. It's about gaining more respect and hopefully turning a few Sri Lankan fans into Zimbabwean fans today. That's another achievement. These are habits – once you build good habits, they stay with you. For us, it's about getting into a winning habit, putting ourselves in winning positions, and closing games. Those habits are still a big achievement for us. We have the same team as the last game.”
Playing XIs
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis (wk), Pavan Rathnayake, Dasun Shanaka (c), Kamindu Mendis, Dunith Wellalage, Dushan Hemantha, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Pramod Madushan
Zimbabwe: Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk), Ryan Burl, Sikandar Raza (c), Dion Myers, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Wellington Masakadza, Brad Evans, Graeme Cremer, Blessing Muzarabani
