"Everyone's Very Positive": Sri Lanka Assistant Coach Ahead Of New Zealand Clash

Ahead of Sri Lanka's ODI World Cup match against New Zealand at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday, the Lions' assistant coach Naveed Nawaz said that the game against the Kiwis is crucial in terms of the upcoming Champions Trophy qualification. Speaking at the pre-match press conference Nawaz said that everyone's very positive and trying to keep their heads up and play the best game against New Zealand.

"It's a crucial game. And the scenarios say that we need to win it. And there are a few more games played after our national. So, preparation was as usual. We came for training today. And I think everyone's very positive and trying to keep their heads up and go and play the best game tomorrow," Nawaz said.

When asked about Sri Lanka's batting lineup, the assistant coach said that there were concerns regarding the opening pair for a period of time but now they have filled the gaps.

He added that in all three departments (batting, bowling and fielding) they have made mistakes in most of the games in the tournament.

"There was one thing in the opening that was always concerning for us over a period of time. And we've sort of tried to fill in those gaps. We brought in Dimuth for the qualifiers and Kusal, Janith for the World Cups. And also, in the middle order as well. There are a couple of spots in the middle order, which has been concerning for some time now. It's not something that has happened during this tournament, but it has been there. Apart from that, we've seen about four of our batsmen have done really well, Charith, Sadeera, of course, Pathum and Kusal have done reasonably well in this tournament. So, it's the consistency and the overall game, I think. I think when you look at it, the bigger picture, I