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The captains have met and the stage is set for Australia 2022. The 16 skippers made history, coming together in Melbourne for the first time at an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
The Captains’ Day marks the start of the eighth edition of the event that promises to keep more than a billion cricket fans across the globe on the edge of their seats from start to finish.
The big one gets underway tomorrow at 15h00 local time when Sri Lanka face Namibia at Geelong’s Kardinia Park Stadium in Group A of the First Round. It is followed by the United Arab Emirates against the Netherlands at 19h00 local time.
This marks the first of 45 matches over 28 days with the champions to be crowned at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 13 November.
Sri Lanka captain, Dasun Shanaka said: “After a very good Asia Cup, we are very confident. The environment is really good. We are well focused on our batting. As it is the early summer, the conditions will be somewhat different, so we are really focusing on that.
“Apart from that, I think the bowlers, they are really shaping up, so Chameera is back with us and Lahiru Kumara is back with us, so they are plus points coming from the Asia Cup.
Namibia captain, Gerhard Erasmus said: “I guess this year is a bit different to last year. We could sort of ride on that underdog factor and go with it and there’s a bit more expectation perhaps this year to go one better.
“Our preparations have been really nice getting to Wangaratta in the countryside of Australia quite early and getting accustomed to things around here. So I guess we’ll try and stall the underdog tag for a little bit longer, but yeah, when the real stuff starts, you need to bring the high-level skill that the guys play at the World Cup if we can do that.”
Australia captain, Aaron Finch said: “Obviously you go into a World Cup knowing that the makeup of your 15 men is really important. It’s not just 11 players that win you a World Cup, it’s the contribution of all around. I feel as though we’ve got a really well balanced side. We’ve got some match winners all throughout the batting lineup and with the ball, as well.
“I think it’s just about trying to peak at the right time. There’s no point getting caught up with what we should be doing or shouldn’t be doing in the lead-up to the tournament. I think it’s important that everyone within the squad knows their roles and what role they’re most likely to play throughout the tournament, and we can tweak things here and there, but there’s a really good feeling in the squad.”
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