Sri Lanka captain Wanindu Hasaranga raised concerns about travelling for their T20 World Cup 2024 opener against South Africa in New York. Hasaranga revealed that Sri Lanka are staying 90 minutes away from the Nassau County Cricket Stadium and reaching the venue early has been a concern for their team ahead of the much-anticipated Group D game on Monday, June 3.
T20 World Cup 2024: Full Coverage | Complete Schedule
Wanindu Hasaranga, speaking to the press, on the eve of their big-ticket match said the Sri Lankan team has been arriving at least three hours in advance for their training and highlighted the difficulty of travelling 90 minutes. Sri Lanka will be taking on South Africa at 10:30 am in New York as the early morning game at the newly-built venue will cater to the TV audience in Asia.
“No, if we play under the lights, then we prepare everything under the lights at 10:30. The only concern is we have to come early to the ground. We had to come at 7.30 in the morning because we were so far from the ground. It will take like one and a half hours to the ground. That’s the only concern we have,” Hasaranga said.
Hasaranga’s comments come after a report claimed that Sri Lanka faced nearly a 12-hour delay when travelling from Florida to New York on Friday after their wam-up games. According to Newswire, Sri Lanka were scheduled to arrive in New York on Friday evening, but they touched down in the city only on early Saturday morning. The report also claimed that Sri Lanka complained to the International Cricket Board regarding the ‘subpar’ logistical planning.
Sri Lanka, unlike India, are playing their group stage games in four different venues — while they take on South Africa in New York, they will face Bangladesh on June 8 in Dallas. Sri Lanka will then face Nepal in Florida on June 12 in Florida before playing their final league game against the Netherlands in St. Lucia on June 17. Nonetheless, Sri Lanka have breaks between their games to ensure travel and recovery.
SRI LANKA READY FOR CAMPAIGN: HASARANGA
However, Sri Lanka captain Wanindu Hasaranga said the team was satisfied with their preparation in the lead-up to the big-ticket contest against South Africa.
“First of all, we prepared really well. We came two weeks early to North Carolina, had practice sessions there and we played two practice matches in Florida. I think as a team, we prepared really well and the conditions are similar to Sri Lanka. So, I think as a team we prepared really well,” he added.
Hasaranga also said that the team watched the warm-up match between India and Bangladesh, adding that they assessed the drop-in pitches at the Nassau Country Cricket Ground. India hammered Bangladesh by 60 runs after posting 182 on a pitch that was more helpful to their bowlers.
“Yeah. We saw the practice games against India and Bangladesh, we saw the wicket and it’s bounce is uneven; we saw the tennis ball like bounce – I think otherwise, the wicket was good and good outfield as well. So, I think it will be helpful for our bowlers,” he added.
