T20 World Cup 2022: "You have to be very careful against him" - Muttiah Muralitharan believes Wanindu Hasaranga can take the tournament by storm

Legendary Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan believes leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga will be a huge threat to the opposition during the T20 World Cup Down Under. Hasaranga picked up nine wickets in the Asia Cup 2022 and proved why he is arguably among the best bowlers in the format.

The pitches in Australia generally don't offer much turn to the finger-spinners. This is where Muralitharan feels that wrist spinners like Hasaranga will extract more turn and bounce on offer.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the commencement of Legends League Cricket, here's what Muttiah Muralitharan had to say about the star spinner:

"He's a great T20 bowler. Last 2-3 years, he's done really well. He's a young guy. In Australia, the leg spinner will definitely have more chances than finger spinners. He will be a difficult opponent to bat against. You have to be very careful against him."

Muttiah Muralitharan on Sri Lanka's Asia Cup triumph

Sri Lanka weren't considered favorites at the start of the 2022 Asia Cup. Muralitharan pointed out that despite having a young team, the Lankan Lions rose to the occasion to win the tournament:

"We had a very young team in the past few years, we played best cricket in the Asia Cup. They looked like the best team and deserved to win the Asia Cup."

Despite their Asia Cup win, Sri Lanka will still need to play the T20 World Cup qualifiers. But Muttiah Muralitharan isn't worried as he believes his nation will go deep into the main tournament as well. He said:

"We are looking forward to the World Cup as well. They are formidable but unfortunately, we have to play the qualifiers to get into the main round. The past few years we didn't play well to get a straight entry. But at the moment I'm very, very confident of doing well in the World Cup as well."

Can Sri Lanka win the T20 World Cup too this year? Let us know in the comments.