Hasaranga sets eyes on next World Cup

Wanindu Hasaranga 

By Champika Fernando 

in Dubai

 Against South Africa Wanindu Hasaranga claimed his first T20 international hat-trick, nearly taking Sri Lanka over the line, before David Miller stole the victory with back-to-back sixes off the final over bowled by Lahiru Kumara. Against England, he returned figures of 3 for 21 to become the leading wicket-taker in 2021, with 34 wickets in the shortest format, and also reached a career milestone of 50 international wickets.

The leg-spinner has been phenomenal with the ball in this tournament, collecting 14 wickets in seven matches at an astonishing economy rate of 5.26, and was largely responsible for Sri Lanka’s resurgence, even though they are out of the semi-finals with a game to go.

England lead the table with eight points, followed by South Africa with six. Australia have four points on the board with two games left, and they will give South Africa a run to grab the remaining semi-final spot from group A.

Following Sri Lanka’s 26-run loss to England in a must-win game on Monday, Hasaranga, who was also Sri Lanka’s top scorer of the match with 34, said he was satisfied with what he has achieved so far.

“I think I have taken the most number of wickets this year and I am really happy with it,” he said at the post-match press conference. “It feels good to contribute to the team, especially when playing your first World Cup.”

When Sri Lanka came into the tournament, needing to play the qualifying round to get into the main draw, no one put their money on them. But their performances, especially the attitude with which they played, has earned them many admirers.

“There’s another T20 World Cup coming up next year,” Hasaranga said. “As a young team, we will work hard to correct our mistakes and do well next year. We were going through a bad patch and as a team we worked hard to give our 100%. We have come to a stage where we can give a good fight to strong teams. The players are working hard on their game and fitness, and I believe if we further improve, we will get good results in the future.”

Even England skipper Eoin Morgan complimented the young Lions for the fight they have shown in the tournament.

“Sri Lanka have pushed us further than we’ve been pushed so far in this tournament,” said Morgan post-match. “They’ve boxed above their weight so far in the World Cup so they should be incredibly proud of what they’ve achieved.”