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Sri Lankan middle-order batter Bhanuka Rajapaksa has underlined his desire to become the Player of the Tournament at the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia. The southpaw also feels confident about Sri Lanka's preparations heading into the competition.
Rajapaksa produced a special performance with the bat in the 2022 Asia Cup final against Pakistan, scripting Sri Lanka's 23-run victory. He hit a 45-ball 71 that lifted his side from 58-5 to 170-6. His exploits with the bat earned him the Player of the Match award as Sri Lanka won their sixth title.
Speaking ahead of Sri Lanka's opening game against Namibia on Sunday (October 16), the 30-year-old said, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo:
"For me, I'm preparing how I want to become the Man of the Series in this World Cup. It will all come with the hard work that we've put in. Hopefully I'll be able to achieve that."
The Asia Cup title holders will have to secure top-two positions in the preliminary round to progress to the Super 12 stage. With the Islanders finishing below sixth in the ICC T20I rankings on the cut-off date of November 15th 2021, they must fulfill the requirements. The other teams in this round are Namibia, Scotland, West Indies, Ireland, Netherlands, UAE and Zimbabwe.
"Coming into a big tournament like this, we need to be prepared" - Bhanuka Rajapaksa
While Rajapaksa admitted that Sri Lanka haven't played much cricket leading into the tournament, he felt the players needed rest and trust in their preparation. The left-hander added:
"Before the Asia Cup, I think we had so much cricket going on, and the boys needed a rest, as well. Coming into a big tournament like this, we need to be prepared. So, of course, we would have missed the opportunity of playing international cricket.
"But sometimes that happens, with the coordination between the cricket boards. But we are quite happy with how we have prepared, and it's just a matter of time until we face the first ball against Namibia."
The 2014 champions endured a group-stage exit last year, but should be confident of going deep in the tournament based on their recent performances.
