T20 World Cup: Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka blames top order for shocking defeat against Namibia

2014 champions and reigning Asia Cup winners Sri Lanka suffered a shocking 55-run defeat against Namibia on the opening day of the T20 World Cup in Geelong on Sunday. Namibia, who had impressed in the previous edition 12 months ago as well, recovered from 93 for six in the 15th over to post a challenging 163 for seven in 20 overs. Jan Frylinck (44 off 28) and JJ Smit (31 not out off 16) did the damage in the death overs, sharing a whirlwind 69-run stand off 33 balls to raise concerns in the Sri Lankan dressing room. Nicol Loftie-Eaton had made a handy 20 off 12 balls after the reigning Asian champions put them in to bat. The Namibian pacers, led by Ben Shikongo, wrecked the Sri Lanka top-order before bowling them out for 108 in 19 overs for a memorable win. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka blamed the top three batters for losing their wickets cheaply in the first powerplay, which put the team on the backfoot early in their chase. “I think the surface played really well but the execution was not there when it comes to the bowling. We’re concerned whether our bowlers bowled in the right areas as compared to the Namibian bowlers. We also wanted the first three batters to continue in the first play, so losing three wickets in the first powerplay put us out of the game. [Next game] the plan should be simple, not to do anything special. It’s about process. When chasing 160 you need good partnerships at the top and numbers three and four to kick in. The bowlers especially they need to hit their areas,” Shanaka said during the post-match presentation. Chasing 164, a surprise awaited Sri Lanka. Opener Kusal Mendis was dismissed for just 6 by medium-pacer David Wiese in the 2nd over. Ben Shikongo, another medium pacer dismissed Pathum Nissanka (9) and Danushka Gunathilaka (0) on two consecutive deliveries, sending the opposition camp into a panic. Sri Lanka was 21/3 in 3.3 overs. Dhananjaya de Silva was joined by hard-hitting Bhanuka Rajapaksa and they took Sri Lanka through the remainder of their powerplay safely. SL was at 38/3 in six overs, with Silva (11*) and Rajapaksa (9*) at the crease. Medium-pace continued its domination in Lanka’s innings as Jan Frylinck joined the party, dismissing Silva for 12 off 11 balls after being caught by Shikongo at deep backward square leg. Sri Lanka was 40/4. Dasun Shanaka, the skipper joined Rajapaksa and they had to do some heavy repair works. The duo kept the scoreboard ticking and took Sri Lanka halfway through the innings safely. After 10 overs, Sri Lanka was at 72/4, with Rajapaksa (19*) and Shanaka (22*). It seemed Sri Lanka could bounce back in the match. Just when things looked safe for SL, spinner Bernard Scholtz gave twin jolts to the Asia Cup champions, sending back Rajapaksa (20) and Wanindu Hasaranga (4). Frylinck also got his second wicket of the match, sending back skipper Shanaka for 29 off 23 balls. The Asia Cup champs looked in a huge trouble, 7 down for just 88 runs in 14 overs. They needed to swing big, but with caution as 76 off 36 balls were needed, with only three wickets in hand. Pramod Madushan was run out for a duck by Michael van Lingen and wicketkeeper Zane Green. SL sunk to 88/8 and Namibia was just two wickets away from pulling off a huge upset. Chamika Karunaratne (5) and Dushmantha Chameera (8) gave away their wickets owing to poor shot selection and Namibia pulled off a memorable victory against the recently-crowned Asia Cup champions. SL was bundled out for 108 in 19 overs and lost the game by 55 runs. Scholtz (2/18) and David Wiese (2/16) were the standout bowlers for Namibia. Shikongo and Frylinck took two wickets. Smit took a wicket too.