On Sunday, the Asian islanders will play a full-strength squad when they take on Afghanistan in the International Cricket Council Cricket World Cup 2015, with captain Angelo Mathews stressing it would be discourteous to underrate the ICC World Cup minnows.
Sri Lanka lost their opening match in Pool A against New Zealand, as did Afghanistan, and that loss make Sunday’s fight at the University Oval all the more crucial to Sri Lanka’s expects of making the quarter-finals.
Angelo Mathews said that they are playing the full strength team. Every match is crucial for them, whether they play Afghanistan or Australia, every match is vital, so they will take every single match very sincerely, and they willl play the best XI possible on that day.
Mathews’ plan is to use his strongest team hinted at a respite for pivot pace bowler Lasith Malinga who was demolished to all parts of the Hagley Oval in Christchurch last Saturday in his squad’s 98-run loss to New Zealand. Malinga, 31, returned with no wickets for 84 runs off his 10 overs as the New Zealand ended up at 331 run for the loss of six wickets.
The defeat to Black caps also saw 1996 world cup winners commit a series of fielding mistakes, with the dashing dynamic Kane Williamson one recipient when he was dropped by wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara off the first ball he faced.
Mathews said that they have done a lot of practice with their fielding, but it is just the consistency level, one match they will be extremely good, the next game they have dropped their standards a wee bit.
Mathews was quoted saying: “It’s a lack of concentration obviously. When you do (make) mistakes, obviously you lose your concentration, and that split-second can turn the game around.”
On Wednesday Afghanistan lost their first match of ICC World Cup opener against Bangladesh by 105 runs when, chasing a target of 268 runs, they were dismissed for 162 at Canberra’s Manuka Oval.