The seasoned coach pointed out that Shanaka and Dhananjaya de Silva will be essential finishers as Sri Lanka attempts to recapture its former glory.
Things have improved for the 1996 ODI World Cup champions of Sri Lanka after Dasun Shanaka assumed control of the white-ball skipper. He led the team to victory in the Asia Cup in 2022, and he is now doing everything in his power to motivate a depleted team to defend their championship this year. His own batting form, though, has recently raised some questions. Shanaka’s batting average across his 14 innings this season is a pitiful 18.58. His strike rate of 90.65 is respectable, but he would like to raise it a few notches given that he bats usually at No. 6 or 7.
Dhananjaya de Silva, who is batting at No. 6 in this year’s Asia Cup, has a strike rate of just 74.93 and an average of just 26 at that position. Shanaka is receiving close attention from the coaching staff, according to Chris Silverwood, the head coach of Sri Lanka.
Dasun is currently working extremely hard, like he always does. Right now, we’re putting a lot of effort into helping him get the runs we know he’s capable of. We believe that he can contribute significantly to our team at No. 7 and help us build on our recent success. On the eve of Sri Lanka’s Super Four match against Bangladesh, Silverwood remarked, “We’ve been getting into positions we could launch from, and it’d be fantastic to see Dasun really damage the opposition and bring us over that 300 mark.
“We want the two of them Dhananjaya de Silva and Dasun Shanaka to offer firepower from 6 and 7, respectively.
It takes more than just showing up and working hard. It’s all about doing things their way and making powerful shots. and ensuring that they have a detailed plan for how they’re going to carry it out. Dhananjaya has a proven track record of pulling us out of tight spots and bringing us to a score that we can defend.
I believe Bangladesh’s bowling unit is really good. Silverwood, Chris
Bangladesh’s bowling assault was praised by the former England coach. He emphasized the significance of preparing in order to combat Bangladesh’s “strong” and “accurate” pacers.
“I believe Bangladesh’s bowling unit to be very good. I’ve been quite impressed with them from what I’ve seen so far in this competition, especially the pace bowlers. They have size, strength, accuracy, and the ability to maneuver. We must ensure that we are well-prepared and that each batter on our team has a strategy for dealing with each bowler on the opposing team, according to Silverwood.
On Saturday, September 9, at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka will take on Bangladesh.