2021 T20 World Cup: “I have the confidence we will qualify, Netherlands is not a great side” – Muttiah Muralitharan backs Sri Lanka to qualify for Super 12s 

Legendary spinner Muttiah Muralitharan expressed his optimism over Sri Lanka’s chances of qualifying for the Super 12s stage of the 2021 T20 World Cup. The island nation racked up a win over Namibia in their opening encounter. Another win will more or less seal their progress to the next stage.

Sri Lanka failed to be one of the top 8 teams in terms of ranking and as a result, could not directly qualify directly into the Super 12s stage. They will face the Netherlands and Ireland in their remaining group matches for a place in either one of the Super 12s groups.

Muralitharan has full belief that the Lankan side will emerge victorious in all three of their qualification matches to secure a berth in Group 1 in the Super 12s. While speaking with local media, Muralitharan said:

It is important we qualify. I have the confidence we will qualify. Netherlands is not a great side. Only Ireland is a bit tough, but I am confident we can beat all three and go to the next round.”

Sri Lanka are top of Group A at the moment by virtue of their superior run-rate. The team faced a slight wobble in pursuit of a meager total, but got there in the end with over 6 overs to spare.

In T20 cricket, any team can win: Muralitharan

Muralitharan noted how T20 is an unpredictable format which increases the likelihood of potential upsets. He brought up the illustrious 1996 World Cup as an example where Sri Lanka were not favored to win the tournament. However, they went on to do so without losing a single match and overcoming India twice. He added:

“You may think it’s impossible, but impossible things have been achieved in cricket. In T20 cricket, any team can win. You don’t know which team will win. Like when we won in 1996, we never thought we would win. I am not saying that we have a talented team like that (1996) here, but impossible things have been achieved in world cricket.”

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Sri Lanka are slated to take on Ireland tonight at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.