DUBAI: Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka said winning the Asia Cup will help the team’s preparation for next month’s Twenty20 World Cup and dedicated the win to the crisis-hit nation.

Sri Lanka won the Asia Cup for the sixth time on Sunday after Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s batting masterclass and Wanindu Hasaranga’s all-round brilliance secured their 23-run victory against Pakistan in the final.

Sri Lanka, who won the T20 World Cup in 2014, are due to begin their World Cup campaign with a qualifying match against Namibia on Oct. 16.

“We played last year’s qualifiers as well ... it’s the set-up that has come through from three or four years back,” Shanaka told reporters. “The last two years were really good for us ... and winning Asia Cup will really help for the ... World Cup.

“The World Cup qualifiers will help as well because we will play in those conditions before the main tournament happens so it’ll be really good for us.

“The players have been playing good cricket for two, three years but the winning factor was not there. This will be a real good turnaround in our cricket. This lot [of players] will continue for another five, six years, so that will be a very good sign for us.”

The island nation has suffered months of economic crisis and political unrest with blackouts, fuel shortages and protests becoming part of their lives.

The Sri Lankan fans present at the Dubai International Stadium celebrated the win with drums and songs as the team took a victory lap of the ground with the trophy.

“They were waiting for it for so long, especially the final,” Shanaka said. “We should dedicate this win to the whole nation.”

Coach Chris Silverwood, appointed in April to lead Sri Lanka having overseen England’s Ashes humiliation in Australia, has been credited for the team’s new-found confidence.

The Englishman was seen having a chat with Rajapaksa, who scored an unbeaten 71, and Hasaranga, who made 36 and then took 3-27 with his leg-spin, during a key 58-run stand between the two batsmen that lifted Sri Lanka from a precarious 58-5 to 170-6.

“He has always been a good motivator for us and always wants us to play aggressive cricket,” said Rajapaksa. We have been given the freedom to play as we wish. And that really helps us as a team and as a young unit to come and win games like this.

“We all just wanted to show the whole world, a couple of decades back, that we had some sort of aggression in our side. And we wanted to create those moments again. I think, as a unit, we are doing that fantastically well at the moment,” he said.

“We want to look forward to the World Cup as well and to keep up this momentum. As a nation, I think it’s a great win ... with all the crisis happening back home, these are tough times for Sri Lankans. We are glad and hope that we brought some smiles to their faces.”

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2022