Sunday Feb 22, 2026
Sunday Feb 22, 2026
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The Captains of the 20 countries taking part in the T20 World Cup
By Sa’adi Thawfeeq
Sri Lanka Captain Dasun Shanaka didn’t mince his words when he said that the onus was on the batsmen if his team was to progress in the T20 World Cup, which starts tomorrow at the SSC Ground with Pakistan taking on the Netherlands.
Speaking to media personnel at the Captains Media Briefing held at the Mercantile Cricket Association (MCA) yesterday, Shanaka said: “If our batsmen can get back into form, the bowlers can show their skills. Extremely happy about the bowling unit the way they executed, especially (Dushmantha) Chameera, (Matheesha) Pathirana, and even Maheesh Theekshana in the last game (vs. England).”
“The batsmen, if they can showcase their talent, we have a good chance of coming through the first round and getting into the semi-finals. Most important is the contributions from the top order batsmen, if they can bat until the end of the innings,” he added.
“There were some concerns with the batting but hopefully we’ll get through this. We have got quite an experienced batting line up so it’s totally dependent on the individuals to show their specialties in the World Cup.”
“I don’t see any failures in the batting line-up; it totally depends on the wicket and the choice of shots we played in that last game. Otherwise, we’ve been good. There were collapses in the recent past but the wicket had always played a part. In this World Cup, I don’t expect those types of wickets.”
Shanaka said compared to the previous World Cups, this time Sri Lanka have an experienced line-up.
“Sri Lanka Cricket has enabled us to gain that experience so every player has a responsibility to give something back to Sri Lanka Cricket. Everyone is keen to perform for the country,” said Shanaka, who will be playing in his fifth World Cup.
“I will personally take on the responsibility. I’ve spoken with the team management as well. As a batsman, bowler, and Captain, I have a responsibility to serve my country. I am ready to do that.”
Sri Lanka’s opponents in Group B will be Australia, Zimbabwe, Ireland, and Oman, and their first match of the World Cup is against Ireland at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
Australian Captain Mitch Marsh said: “We’ve got great respect for all the teams that we’re going to be playing against. We’ll be as consistent as we can with our preparation and how we go about things. Over the last 18 months, I feel we’ve been one of the most consistent sides in the world. We come to this World Cup really confident, knowing that conditions will be different at times. But we’ve got guys that have experienced that all over the world. So, we look forward to the challenge of playing against everyone.”
Zimbabwe Captain Sikandar Raza said: “When it comes to preparation, we guys were in Hambantota for a week, so we had a really good camp. And thank you to Sri Lanka Cricket for hosting us in that regard and giving us facilities to prepare well in these conditions. Regarding the plans, the first challenge is Oman. All my energy in my head is at that game. I do not want to think about too many games. We got one game to win, which is Oman, and all my focus is on that game. Inshallah, we cross that line, and we worry about the other teams.”
Ireland Captain Paul Stirling said: “We’ve had some good prep coming into this game. We were in Dubai for a couple of weeks and it’s a big start to the competition for us. We’re playing the host nation at the Premadasa, so I certainly won’t be looking any further ahead than that game on Sunday night and see how it progresses from there. We play cricket because we want to play against the best sides in the world as often as we can and you see a group come out like that and we’re just terribly excited to get out there and try and put our best foot forward. We don’t play that level of cricket every week in, week out. So, all I can say is when that group came out, there were more smiles than frowns. We’re just excited to get out there and hopefully show what we’ve got.”
Oman Captain Jatinder Singh said: “I believe we are in a group which is the toughest for associate teams. We have a strong team, but we believe we have to play fearless and positive cricket. That is how we can go to the next round. Regarding the great Duleep (Mendis), he’s a wonderful Coach and a wonderful mentor for our team, working for so many years. Since 2012, he’s been with the Oman team. He’s done a wonderful job and he’s the main guy who knows these wickets very well. All the info he has will work for us.”
Pakistan sticking to their Govt.’s decision
Pakistan Captain Salman Ali Agha has said that they will have to do whatever their Government says when questioned about his team not playing India in the Group match of the ICC T20 World Cup at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium on 15 February.
“The India game is not in our control. It is a Government decision and we respect that. Whatever they say, we will have to do,” said Salman at the Captains Media Briefing yesterday.
“We’re playing three other games, and we are very excited about that. We lost to the USA in the last World Cup, but that’s history now. It’s a new World Cup, and it’s a new team, and it’s a new combination. We have been playing really good cricket. I think post-Asia Cup, we haven’t lost a series yet and we have won most of our games. Everything is coming along very nicely. We are very hopeful and excited for this World Cup and really hope to do well here as well,” said Salman, who will be captaining his country in a World Cup for the first time.
“I am very excited about that. As Captain, I want to lead from the front and try to make as much as I can from my players, get the best out of them, and give them an environment where they can play their best cricket.”
Pakistan, who are in Group A with India, the Netherlands, Namibia, and the USA, will play all their World Cup matches in Sri Lanka.– [ST]
