The squad doesn't mind if they only score 20-30 runs in the first six overs, according to the assistant coach. They are certain that they will be able to catch up.
Sri Lanka's top three were out for five runs in the first two overs of their chase against New Zealand on Saturday. They had lost six at the midway point. Their top order had collapsed against Namibia earlier in the competition as well. The objective for Sri Lanka, according to assistant coach Naveed Nawaz, was to have wickets in hand early on, even if they didn't score many runs.
Because it is precisely the technique that enabled them to defeat Afghanistan on Tuesday. Sri Lanka was just 28 for 1 after six overs, hitting only four fours in the powerplay. Sri Lanka was scoring at less than ten runs per over after ten overs but had only lost two wickets.
After the foundation was built, the remaining 82 runs necessary for victory took just 51 balls to achieve, with Dhananjaya de Silva in particular upping the tempo. Sri Lanka cruised to a goal of 145 with nine balls to spare and six wickets in hand.
"The goal was to not panic and keep wickets in hand even if we got fewer runs - probably around 25 to 30 in the opening six overs."
"We've been discussing losing fewer wickets during the powerplay as well as the first ten overs," Nawaz stated after the game. "If you look at the trend that's developing in most teams, the number of runs scored in the first 10 overs is significantly fewer than in the subcontinent." And the quantity of runs at the bottom has increased significantly.
"That has been our strategy throughout this World Cup." We've done well if we've had a solid opening stand or someone taking responsibility from the top."
Sri Lanka was especially concerned about losing wickets to Mujeeb Ur Rahman against Afghanistan. He bowled Pathum Nissanka out with a near-unplayable delivery, but Sri Lanka was content to play him out and wait for easier overs later. Mujeeb was 1 for 11 in his three powerplay overs, but his last over was a 13-run bomb.
"We anticipated Mujeeb would bowl at least two overs during the powerplay," Nawaz remarked. "So the strategy was to not worry if we only got 25 to 30 runs in the first six overs and to maintain wickets in hand. After their top bowlers were taken out, there were numerous bowlers we thought could be obtained. We understood we were aiming for 140 points, which isn't a huge amount, and that we could always get there."
De Silva, who led Sri Lanka to victory with his 66 not out off 42 balls, reached his first half-century of the tournament. Despite having batted largely in the top four, it was his third T20I fifty (23 previous innings). De Silva is in the team due to his contributions to the ball and on the field. However, Sri Lanka is hoping that this was a watershed moment. It was his best performance in this format.
"Yes, I believe it's a comfort that Dhananjaya is running," Nawaz replied. "He's always shown promise, consistently hitting 30s, 40s, and 20s. But I think it's encouraging to see him finish a game and get through it, 60-plus not out."
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