Though tournament co-hosts Sri Lanka might be out of the race for the semifinals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, there is no letting down in their preparations for their Super 8 clash against Pakistan.
Sri Lanka’s spin bowling coach, Rene Ferdinands insists that the team will give their all and aim to finish their campaign on a winning note. “We want to try to win it. We know that Pakistan is a good opposition. We respect them. But in every sense, we want to try to win. There’s never been any other question. So, we’re always looking to bounce back. And we’re preparing in that vein,” Ferdinands said.
The spin bowling coach praised the team’s spinners who have been instrumental in Sri Lanka’s run in the tournament. The trio of Dushan Hemantha, Maheesh Theekshana, and Dunith Wellalage have collectively claimed 25 wickets so far in the tournament.
“The spinners have performed well. And so, we were happy with that particular area of our game. Even in the last game (against New Zealand), you can see that they were performing very well. It was just the last bit of the bowling that was an issue. But yeah, they are not falling short of any of the competition.”
The performance stands out even more in the absence of Wanindu Hasaranga, who sustained an injury during Sri Lanka’s opening game against Ireland, and was subsequently ruled out for the remainder of the tournament.
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Ferdinands discussed the challenges of playing in absence of Hasaranga, who is still in the top 10 positions of the ICC Men’s T20I Bowling Rankings. “Well, clearly, if you have a player of high profile like that who is a world-class performer, any team that loses a world class performer is going to have challenges restoring the balance of the team.
“So, we have done our best and we have good replacements. And yeah, of course, that’s a challenge. And you never get two Wanindu Hasarangas as one.”
Sri Lanka will play their final game of the tournament against Pakistan on February 28 in Kandy.
