'I’m pretty sure that we can fight' - Chaminda Vaas on Sri Lanka's 2023 ODI World Cup chances

The Asian champions Sri Lanka qualified for the ODI World Cup after having a stellar tournament in the qualifiers. They eventually managed to beat the Netherlands in the finals and will now eye to do well in the mega tournament, which is slated to begin on October 5 in India. Meanwhile, despite coming through the qualifiers, the Dasun Shanaka-led side cannot be taken lightly in the World Cup, as per former cricketer Chaminda Vaas.

He expects the Lankan Lions to perform really well and give a fight to every opponent in the tournament. Notably, when World Cup was last organised in India, Sri Lanka played the finals and Vaas expects something similar this time around as well. He mentioned that Wanindu Hasaranga will be crucial for the team as he has been terrific in the last couple of years and players like Matheesa Pathirana and Maheesh Theekshana too can prove valuable because of their experience in playing in the IPL.

“We have a talented side and one of the best leg-spinners – Wanindu Hasranga – I have seen in the world. There are mystery bowlers who bring variety to attack and we have Matheesha Pathirana who has been performing really well in IPL.

"The most important thing is we have to play as a team you know when it comes to a big tournament and playing the right combination and playing smart cricket is most important and if we can do that, I’m pretty sure that we can fight and can give a fight to any team,” Vaas said in an exclusive interview to News18.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka will begin their World Cup campaign against South Africa on October 7 at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Ahead of that, the team will be playing in the Asia Cup and will be aiming to defend the trophy, after winning it last year. They will also play a couple of warm-up games in India ahead of the tournament.