Asia Cup title is history, you have to get into the Super 12s of the T20 World Cup, says Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka | Cricket News

GEELONG (Australia): The Asia Cup title is now a thing of the past, insists Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanakaand says their only focus at the moment is to produce a perfect performance in their must-win game against the Netherlands to qualify for the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup.
Sri Lanka, stunned by Namibia in their tournament opener, bounced back strongly to beat the UAE by 79 runs in a first round Group A match.
But if they finish third in Group A, Shanaka’s men will now need to win their final game against top-seeded Netherlands on Thursday to secure their place in the Super 12 stage.
“…I think Asia Cup champions are history, so it’s just a title for us. There’s no pressure at all. We just have to concentrate on our own performances and what we have to do to make sure we get there second round after the next game.”
“We know our strength. The first game we didn’t execute in that game, so we were beaten by Namibia. But we are a much better team than the team that performed in the first game,” Shanaka said before the game against said. The Netherlands.

The captain praised the performances of Pathum Nissanka (74) and Dushmantha Chameera (3/15) against the UAE on Tuesday, but said it was time for him and big-hitting Bhanuka Rajapaksa to score some runs.
“I think we have to have myself (scoring runs) and Bhanu also have to kick on in this tournament.
“Pathum Nissanka, he really played throughout, and it was an excellent innings. And Wanindu and Dushmantha and even Maheesh Theekshana, we know how good they are when it comes to these kinds of matches. They performed well. You saw from the time they started their careers,” he said.
Sri Lanka are also plagued by injuries in the tournament with Chameera ruled out of Thursday’s game with a calf injury. His further participation in the tournament, if the team progresses, is also in doubt.

Besides Chameera, there are also concerns over Danushka Gunathilaka, who missed the UAE match, and Pramod Madushan, as both are out with hamstring injuries. “It’s not finalized yet, so we’re still deciding. I definitely think two or three fast bowlers will be here soon.
“So what I told them is he (Chameera) went for the scan today, so still waiting for the report. I think he won’t be able to play tomorrow anyway. We are waiting for the reports to come,” said Shanaka said.
“I think Danushka will be fine, also waiting for the scan, so we’re waiting. This morning only they went, so yeah, we’re still waiting for that.”