T20 WC, Rd 1: SL batting is settled, Avishka will bat at four, says coach Arthur
Oct 18, 2021
Abu Dhabi [UAE], October 18 : Sri Lanka coach Mickey Arthur feels the side has prepared well ahead of their opening encounter against Namibia in the ongoing T20 World Cup on Monday.
Arthur said Sri Lanka players are in good form and the team has sorted out the type of game they will be playing in the showpiece event.
"I think we've prepared really well, we had 10 days in Colombo as well and then against Oman it was great for us and allowed us to look at different combinations," said Arthur in an ICC release.
"Players got into some really good form, we sorted out exactly the brand of cricket we wanted to play, and then coming here, we've just capitalised a little bit on that and so I couldn't be happier," he added.
Working with Mahela Jayawardene, Arthur has crunched the numbers to decide Sri Lanka's best batting line-up with Avishka Fernando confirmed to be batting at four.
"We have sorted out the number three position, Avishka is very comfortable at four. He's done exceptionally well there. We had a bit of a brainstorming session, Mahela came with a plan, he had a look at the stats which he sent on to Dasun [Shanaka, captain] and myself and we had a look at the stats," said Arthur.
"It was pretty clear for Avishka that number four was a good fit for him in terms of the brand of cricket we wanted to play. We've got that sorted so Avishka will bat four definitely and then we've got a plan for number three, so we're very settled at the moment," he added.
Sri Lanka is in Group A in the first round of fixtures and as well as taking on Namibia, they will face Ireland and the Netherlands.
Only the top two progress to the Super 12s and Arthur is aware of how crucial an opening win could be. "It's really important, this is a bit of a cutthroat little qualifier, you've got three games and you've got to hit the ground running without a doubt," Arthur signed off.
