Sri Lanka begin their Asia Cup T20I title defence against Bangladesh on September 13
Charith Asalanka highlighted the Asia Cup 2022 victory as motivation
Asalanka expects batter-friendly conditions in Abu Dhabi
Bangladesh Vs Sri Lanka, Asia Cup 2025: SL Using 2022 Title Victory As Motivation, Says Charith Asalanka
Captain Charith Asalanka revealed Sri Lanka's strategy to defend their Asia Cup T20I title, using their 2022 victory as motivation in their opener against Bangladesh on September 13
Summary
Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka said his players are drawing on their 2022 Asia Cup victory as motivation for their upcoming campaign.
They won the T20I edition of the tournament, while India won the more recent ODI version of the competition in 2023.
Sri Lanka begin their T20I title defence against Bangladesh, who they have faced in six white-ball matches already this year.
Although Sri Lanka won the ODI series, Bangladesh got the better of them in the T20I matches.
Asalanka, who is expecting batter-friendly conditions in the tournament, believes Sri Lanka's 2022 triumph has helped them prepare mentally.
"Mentally, the fact that we are defending champions is a really good thing," said Asalanka.
"It was a lot of these players that played in that last tournament here [in UAE] as well. We know that because we are champions we can go far. The players are using that as motivation.
"When you're rating these conditions with other venues in the UAE, I think Abu Dhabi is the best pitch for batters.
"Once the ball gets softer it's much easier to bat here, and the outfield is very nice. Every batsman wants to play in Abu Dhabi."
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