World Cup 2023: “They Underestimated Our Team”: Sri Lanka Star Takes a Jibe At England After Victory

Maheesh Theekshana, a spinner from Sri Lanka, poked fun at England, stating that the reigning champions misjudged the Islanders and could be eliminated from contention after losing by eight wickets. On a track that bounced easily, the Sri Lankan bowlers were bang on as they dismissed England for 156, and they went on to win thanks to fifties from Sadeera Samarawickrama and Pathum Nissanka. We only won against the Netherlands and lost three other games; therefore, I believe they undervalued our squad.

“We backed our strength, which is why the outcome worked in our favor. We had a straightforward approach going in, which is why we won today,” Theekshana stated at the Bengaluru press conference following the game.

The bowlers from Sri Lanka had a terrible time in the first four matches, giving up a lot of runs and even helping South Africa reach a total of more than 400.

Theekshana claimed that in this game, the Lankans performed their strategies considerably better.

We bowled poorly in the middle overs of the first four games. Our bowling was probably the reason for three of our losses. In order to gain greater discipline, we held some practice sessions. The fast bowlers all put in a lot of work in advance of the game to ensure they knew what to expect today,” the man stated.

Theekshana acknowledged that the M Chinnaswamy Stadium surface, which is frequently a batsman’s friend, altered slightly in character during this game as the bowlers also found some grip.

“The pitch was different when I played an IPL match here. There was a little spin, pace, and bounce today. Because of the level pitch in the IPL game, scoring runs was comparatively simple.

“I’m not implying that it was tough to accumulate runs in this match, as we managed to score 150 runs with just two wickets down,” he stated.

The unidentified spinner praised Lahiru Kumara and Angelo Mathews for taking significant England wickets.

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We failed to locate the correct length, and we gave up a few runs in the first four or five overs. But Angelo adjusted the length with his experience when he got the ball. We were able to regain our composure when bowling as a result.