Ahead of his team’s Super Four phase match against Afghanistan at the ongoing Asia Cup 2022, Sri Lanka assistant coach Naveed Nawaz defended his side’s bowling against Bangladesh in their Group B match.
“We had a couple of players debuting. So you have to give them opportunities and allow them to make a couple of mistakes at this level since they are new to the trade. This is the reason why our bowling was here and there. But they (bowlers) came back together in the end and it was impressive,” said Nawaz in a pre-match press conference on Friday.
He termed his side’s thrilling two-wicket win against Bangladesh as “important.”
“Even a small win can be a big win for a country. It is important for us as a group. It lifts everyone up and gives boys momentum to change their thinking and drive things towards the right direction,” he added.
On questions regarding the pitch, he said that nobody should be saying anything if T20 pitches produced 360-runs in a match and it was a “good cricketing pitch.”
Nawaz said that with ICC T20 World Cup scheduled for October-November this year, fast bowlers will be playing a bigger role for the next two months and the focus will on giving them opportunities.
Sri Lanka will take on Afghanistan in Sharjah on Saturday, a match that will kick off the Super Four phase of Asia Cup 2022.
Sri Lanka is heading into the Super Four with a win in two games and two points on the table. They lost their first match against Afghanistan by eight wickets. But they bounced back to capture a thrilling two-wicket win against Bangladesh.
On the other hand, Afghanistan is on a roll in Asia Cup 2022 so far. They have won both of their group stage matches and are sitting on top of the table with four points. They won their first game against Sri Lanka by eight wickets. Their next game saw them win against Bangladesh by seven wickets. (ANI)
