Asia Cup 2022: "Hosting this tournament in Sri Lanka would have favoured us more" - Dasun Shanaka laments UAE hosting the tournament 

Sri Lanka limited-overs captain Dasun Shanaka believes that his side would have had an advantage had the 2022 Asia Cup been staged in the island nation.

While Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) remain the official hosts of the tournament and are expected to pocket up to $6 million in revenue, it will be United Arab Emirates (UAE) where the matches will be contested.

The tournament was moved out of the emerald island due to the crippling economic situation in the country. The stakeholders were not convinced that Sri Lanka would be able to host the competition, resulting in a change of venue.

The Lions put up a healthy showing in the white-ball series against Australia at home. The rampant home support and the spin-friendly conditions played a huge factor as they put up a front in the T20I series and racked up a 3-2 series win in the ODIs.

Opining that Sri Lanka are favorites on their day, Shanaka told reporters ahead of the 2022 Asia Cup opening match:

"Hosting this tournament in Sri Lanka would have favoured us more because the crowd support is there and playing in home conditions has a bigger advantage. When it comes to the favourites, India is a leading side at the moment but in T20 there are no favourites. On a day if we play good cricket, we can be the favourites as well."

The Dasun Shanaka-led side are drawn alongside Bangladesh and Afghanistan in Group B of the 2022 Asia Cup. The side are on the rise under newly appointed coach Chris Silverwood, who is building on the legacy left by former coach Mickey Arthur.

"We look forward to delivering for our country" - Dasun Shanaka

While the Lankan Lions will not have a raucous home crowd behind them, they are still expected to be backed in numbers in the Middle East. The side are on the lookout to win their first Asia Cup title since 2014 and continue their preparations for the upcoming T20 World Cup.

It is to be noted that the team failed to secure a direct qualification to the group stages and will have to compete in the preliminary round.

Claiming that the team are on the right track, Shanaka said:

"The cricket always brings a different kind of vibe to Sri Lankan people, winning is the most thrilling thing. So we look forward to delivering for our country."

The all-rounder added:

"We have played some good series in the last two-three months. What I trust the most is the process, so we are on the right track and hopefully we can clean the series here as well."

Sri Lanka are scheduled to take on Afghanistan in the opening clash of the 2022 Asia Cup on August 27 (Saturday) at the Dubai International Stadium.

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