﻿{
    "id": "188844",
    "author": "23",
    "cnmid": "1231869",
    "title": "T20 WC: Sri Lanka Opt To Bat Against Zimbabwe, Teams Remain Unchanged",
    "lang": "en",
    "series": "1",
    "cup_year": "0000",
    "article_type": "General",
    "excerpt": "T20 World Cup: Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat against Zimbabwe in their Group B contest of the ICC Men\u2019s T20 World Cup here at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Thursday.\n",
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    "editor1": "T20 World Cup: Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat against Zimbabwe in their Group B contest of the ICC Men\u2019s T20 World Cup here at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Thursday.\n<p>Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka, upon winning the toss, said, \"Our batsmen need to put runs on the board. So I\u2019m happy to bat first. Madushanka comes straight into the XI. Dushmantha Chameera is rested, and Pramod Madushan comes in for him. It\u2019s very tough because it\u2019s a World Cup, and we need our best players in the playing XI. It\u2019s unfortunate, but we have to deal with it. The batsmen have put in outstanding performances, which has given us a lot of confidence. At the same time, Pathirana and Wanindu got injured, but the replacements have done the job really well for us. That\u2019s the key. Also, our fielding has improved a lot. All the key areas we wanted to work on, we\u2019ve done superbly well. Hopefully, we\u2019ll carry that into the next round.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Meanwhile, Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza said, \u201cLooking at the conditions and the chance of drizzle, under lights it plays better from our previous experience. So it\u2019s a win-win situation. Our bowlers are full of confidence, and the conditions give them the best chance. Hopefully, we can restrict them to a low score. I still think, as a group, it changes a lot for us. Topping the group and going into the Super stage is a big deal. We know there\u2019s going to be a full house as well. It\u2019s about gaining more respect and hopefully turning a few Sri Lankan fans into Zimbabwean fans today. That\u2019s another tick. These are habits - once you build good habits, they stay with you. For us, it\u2019s about getting into a winning habit, putting ourselves in winning positions, and closing games. Those habits are still a big tick for us. We\u2019ve got the same side as the last game.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Playing XIs<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Meanwhile, Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza said, \u201cLooking at the conditions and the chance of drizzle, under lights it plays better from our previous experience. So it\u2019s a win-win situation. Our bowlers are full of confidence, and the conditions give them the best chance. Hopefully, we can restrict them to a low score. I still think, as a group, it changes a lot for us. Topping the group and going into the Super stage is a big deal. We know there\u2019s going to be a full house as well. It\u2019s about gaining more respect and hopefully turning a few Sri Lankan fans into Zimbabwean fans today. That\u2019s another tick. These are habits - once you build good habits, they stay with you. For us, it\u2019s about getting into a winning habit, putting ourselves in winning positions, and closing games. Those habits are still a big tick for us. We\u2019ve got the same side as the last game.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h5><b>Also Read: <\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cricketnmore.com\/live-cricket-score\">Live Cricket Score<\/a><\/h5><p>Zimbabwe: Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk), Ryan Burl, Sikandar Raza (c), Dion Myers, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Wellington Masakadza, Brad Evans, Graeme Cremer, Blessing Muzarabani<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h5>Article Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/ians.in\/english-wire\/sports\/1\" rel=\"nofollow\">IANS<\/a><\/h5>",
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    "alt_img": "T20 WC: Sri Lanka opt to bat against Zimbabwe, teams remain unchanged",
    "alt_title": "Pallekele: ICC T20 World Cup 2026: Sri Lanka VS Oman",
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    "seo_title": "T20 WC: Sri Lanka Opt To Bat Against Zimbabwe, Teams Remain Unchanged On Cricketnmore",
    "seo_desc": "T20 WC: Sri Lanka Opt To Bat Against Zimbabwe, Teams Remain Unchanged, T20 World Cup: Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat against Zimbabwe in their Group B contest of.",
    "seo_keywords": "T20 WC, Sri Lanka, ICC Men, T20 World Cup, Premadasa Stadium, Dasun Shanaka, Dushmantha Chameera, Pramod Madushan, World Cup, Sikandar Raza, Sri Lankan, Playing XIs, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Pavan Rathnayake, Kamindu Mendis, Dunith",
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    "created": "2026-02-19 14:46:04",
    "updated": "2026-02-19 14:46:04",
    "img_from": "Image Source: IANS",
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    "link": "https:\/\/www.cricketnmore.com\/cricket-news\/t20-wc-sri-lanka-opt-to-bat-against-zimbabwe-teams-remain-unchanged-188844"
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