But we have a young team and it will be a good experience for them and we are looking forward to start the tournament, Shanaka said at the pre-match press meet.

Shanaka said the team has enough quality players to impress at the Asia Cup.

Last time (at the 2022 Asian Cup), we also played as underdogs and lost the first match against Afghanistan. But we still managed to win the trophy, he said.

There is no doubt about where we are at the moment and the balance of the team, so we are looking forward to the tournament. After Thursday’s match, Sri Lanka will travel to Pakistan for a match against Afghanistan in Lahore.

Shanaka didn’t read too much into the hectic journey.

We were in the same situation during last year’s World Cup (T20). I think international cricket goes like that and we are used to it. It can be worrying but we are dealing with it, he said.

Shanaka said it was important for Sri Lanka to play competitive cricket ahead of the ICC ODI World Cup to be held in India from October 5 to November 19.

We know that India and Pakistan are dominating Asia. But Sri Lanka have a good history of success in World Cups and Asian Cups. So it is important for Sri Lanka to play good, competitive cricket before the World Cup, he said.