Chris Silverwood 'confident' about Sri Lanka’s qualifying chances in T20 World Cup 2022

After a stunning performance in the Asia Cup 2022, Sri Lanka came into the T20 World Cup 2022 with a lot of hopes and confidence. However, they faced an early setback with the quite unexpected loss to Namibia in their first game and it left their chances of making it to the Super 12 stage in jeopardy.  

The Island nation still has the luxury of deciding their fate as a win over the Netherlands on October 20 will be enough for them to qualify. A thumping performance against UAE in the second group game on Tuesday ensured that they are in the hunt. Speaking of making it to Super 12, head coach Chris Silverwood explained various factors to consider.  

We've got to make sure we give them the respect they deserve: Chris Silverwood 

Silverwood said he believes in his team’s abilities and noted that all the opponents must be respected irresepective of their lower rankings and should not be taken lightly.  

"I'm always confident. I'm the eternal optimist. We'll always be looking to win and obviously progress. I'm confident in the boys' ability. But at the same time we have to make sure we turn up, we put in a performance like we did tonight, because as we've seen these teams here are dangerous. We've got to make sure we give them the respect they deserve and come out fighting," Silverwood told reporters after their win against UAE.  

Silverwood had an update on the injured pacer Dushmantha Chameera and noted that the medical team has been taking care of him.  

"Obviously, we need to keep an eye on him. The medical team will be watching him overnight. Then potentially having a scan tomorrow and we'll make a plan from there, really. But let's get all the information in first and find out exactly where we're at and we'll have to make a plan," he added.