Zimbabwe v Sri Lanka
Maheesh Theekshana, Sri Lanka bowler batter and Player of the Match (4/25):“We had a good plan but I think after the first ten overs we hadn’t executed our plans well so sometimes you had to do it for the team. So I came back and had a chat with Dasun and said ‘We need to change something so I just changed something in the field and got a wicket. Because we lost Lahira [Kumara] I knew I had to bowl in the powerplay as well, but Dilshan came into the side and got the first three wickets and he got us the momentum. Sikandar [Raza] and Sean [Williams] were batting brilliantly in that period of time. So when I came back, I knew I had to get a wicket and get it settled down. I executed my plans well then and bowled better areas.”
Dasun Shanaka, Sri Lanka captain: “Coming for the qualifiers it is always tough, but still, we go through the process and we knew that with the team we have got here that we were going to qualify for the World Cup. Credit to the other teams they played really well in the tournament, some of the teams gave us some good fights in between, but still we are a better side. This bunch of players, they have got their own skills and they utilise the conditions over here really well and that is what is important. Knowing the strength of our bowling and batting, that is the key to success, we stick to our basics really well, whatever the conditions and whatever the situation is.”
On qualifying for the World Cup:“It's a big achievement but still we know what we have done in the past in World Cups especially, we won the 1996 World Cup and were the 2011 runners-ups. We have been playing amazing cricket in the World Cup so it's a much-needed thing for Sri Lanka to be up here in that big stage. Yes, there is pressure here but still the pressure begins on the big stage. So I think that World Cup ahead is the main focus and main target for us, we are waiting to deliver there as well.”
Craig Ervine, Zimbabwe captain:“It was always going to be challenging batting first. But I just thought there were a couple of soft dismissals in that first 10 overs, but obviously losing three wickets put us on the backfoot early. Theekshana is a veteran for Sri Lanka and he's done it on numerous occasions. I thought that partnership between Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza got us slowly back into the game. And then he came on and basically just destroyed us and that middle order and unfortunately, we couldn't recover from those collapses in the middle.”
On the game against Scotland on Tuesday: “I don't think we need to prepare any differently to what we've been doing over the tournament. We have been playing some really good cricket over the last few games and obviously today Sri Lanka were much better than us.”