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UAE – Nine months after the UAE hosted the ICC T20 World Cup, the country is gearing up for another major cricket event.
These pristine shores will be the stage for Asia’s top players to compete for the Asian Cup title.
Six teams – record seven-time champions India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Hong Kong – will go head to head over the next two weeks, with one team taking home the trophy.
After all the training at the ICC Cricket Academy, the action has shifted to Saturday night’s ‘Ring of Fire’ – Dubai International Cricket Stadium – with the ball set for Sri Lanka and Afghanistan over the past few days in the sweltering summer months. The first game of the 14th edition rolls.
Dubai and Sharjah are the venues for the competition, the latter being a historic venue that has hosted four matches.
For all intents and purposes, this was supposed to be a Sri Lanka game, but the Emerald Isle said it was unable to host the game due to the domestic economic crisis. Subsequently, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) decided to host the tournament in the UAE.
Sri Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka said the perfect gift to his country would be to go home with the coveted trophy.
Sri Lanka has won the tournament five times – in 1986, 1997, 2004, 2008 and 2014 – second only to India.
“Cricket always brings a different vibe to the Sri Lankan people and winning is the most exciting thing,” Shanaka said during a training session at the ICC Cricket Academy on Friday.
“So we look forward to serving our country,” he added.
“It would be more beneficial for us to host this game in Sri Lanka because there is support from the crowd and there is a greater advantage to play in home conditions,” Shanaka said.
The small island nation has been in the midst of a massive crisis, with power outages exacerbated by food and fuel shortages.
Sri Lanka will successfully beat Australia in the One-Day International in June. They also went head-to-head with Australia and Pakistan in the Test, drawing both series.
Shanaka believes there is no clear favorite.
“When it comes to favourites, India is currently leading, but in T20, there are no favourites. One day, if we play cricket well, we can also be the favourites,” he felt.
Shanaka will rely on his all-around star Wanindu Hasaranga to make a star turn for the team.
“Our main spinner Wanindu Hasaranga will definitely play a big role on this tour,” Shanaka said.
“We’ve had some good series in the last two or three months. What I trust most is the process, so we’re on the right track and hopefully we can clean up the series here as well,” he added .
Interestingly, this will be the second T20I between the two sides, with Sri Lanka beating Afghanistan at the 2016 T20 World Cup in India.
Meanwhile, Shanaka’s opponent Mohamed Nabi has played more T20I at the Emirates and will make his 36th appearance on Saturday.
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