Maheesh Theekshana said that England underestimated Sri Lanka ahead of their World Cup 2023 match on Thursday, October 26 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.
After three defeats on the trot, Sri Lanka find themselves in fifth in the table after back-to-back wins. After beating the Netherlands, the Islanders beat defending champions England by eight wickets at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.
Theekshana said that Sri Lanka found success as they were able to stick to the plan that they formulated before the match.
“I think they under underestimate our team because we also lost three games and we only won against the Netherlands. I think they underestimated us. That’s why the result went our way because we backed our strength, we went like a simple plan, so, that’s why we won the game today,” Theekshana was quoted as saying in the post-match press conference.
Theekshana also expressed delight at the return of Angelo Mathews who picked up two wickets and was among the standout bowlers for Sri Lanka on the day. Theekshana, who finished with figures of 8.2-1-21-1, said that he is looking forward to rubbing shoulders with Mathews.
“As a team, we are very happy that a very experienced player has joined our team. He has played in India. We have a lot to learn from him. Even when we bowled, we used his experience in the match. The whole team is very happy to have such an experienced player on the team,” he added.
Sri Lanka will next be up against Hashmatullah Shahidi’s Afghanistan on Monday, October 30 at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium in Pune.
