Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka, along with his team, played two back-to-back T20I matches against Zimbabwe on September 6 and 7 before boarding a long-haul flight to Dubai via South Africa from Harare. Whatever plans he had of resting after landing were quashed by a pre-tournament photoshoot and a captains’ press conference, where he didn’t attempt to hide exhaustion.
“I should answer this question tomorrow, I think,” Asalanka said with a laugh on Tuesday. “It’s really hard to play back-to-back games and then travel straightaway. I think we actually need a couple of days off. I hope the coach will give us [that].
“It’s important to take care of our fitness. And we all know it’s really hot out there. For me, it’s really important to stay fresh and give 100% in the first game.”
Sri Lanka’s first game is against Bangladesh on Saturday, which gives them a few days to adjust to UAE’s temperatures, which hasn’t dipped below 40 Celsius in over a week. But their task won’t get easier. They are in the tougher of the two groups, alongside Bangladesh and the rampant Afghanistan.
Afghanistan reached the final of the recent tri-series against Pakistan and hosts UAE. Despite winning all their league games, they faltered in the final, losing to Pakistan by 75 runs. That, however, doesn’t change the fact that they remain a force in T20Is particularly. And while Afghanistan too face a hectic schedule, traveling to Abu Dhabi for matches and playing their opening game against Hong Kong less than 48 hours after the tri-series final, Rashid Khan appeared in better spirits than his opposite number, Asalanka.
“Well, I don’t think it’s ideal – that’s what we were discussing [with the other captains] before as well,” Rashid said. “To play in Abu Dhabi and stay here in Dubai for all three games… it’s different. But as professional cricketers, we have to accept these things.
“Once you enter the ground, you tend to forget everything else. In other countries, we often fly two-three hours and go straight to the game. I remember flying from Bangladesh to the US once and playing straightaway.”
Rashid believes brooding over conditions or scheduling only risks performance, something he isn’t ready to gamble on.
“You have to be well-prepared and mentally very strong, that’s why we are professionals,” he said. “If you start complaining about these things, about traveling a lot, it affects your performance on the field. For us, the focus is to put in the effort once we step inside. Wherever we go, we try to forget whatever happens outside and adapt. The most important thing is to give 100% and win the game.”
While Sri Lanka are defending champions of the Asia Cup, Afghanistan have yet to lift the trophy. They made it to the semi-final of the last T20 World Cup, and nearing a trophy ahead of the next edition will give them all the morale boost they need. For now though, the immediate challenge is the same for both sides and that is to survive a brutal group stage.
