The last two times the World Cup was played in the subcontinent, Sri Lanka won one and was runners up in the other. But much water has flown since then. Fast Forward to 2023, Sri Lanka had to play World Cup Qualifiers to seal a spot in the World Cup.
The Sri Lankan team has blown hot and cold in the recent past. They won 13 straight ODIs from the World Cup Qualifiers to the Asia Cup. They reached the final of the Asia Cup but got bowled out for 50 in the final. Even in 2022, they won the Asia Cup(20-20 format), but fared poorly in the 2022 World t20, that included a loss against Namibia too.
Sri Lanka has faced some major setbacks leading into the World Cup with Dushmanta Chameera and Wanindu Hasaranga being ruled out of the World Cup. They have also taken a strong decision by not including Angelo Mathews in the World Cup squad. However, Dasun Shanaka and his men would be looking forward to play with their utmost potential in the coming World Cup and show the world what they can do.
SQUAD:
Dasun Shanaka (c), Kusal Mendis (vc), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Dimuth Karunaratne, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya De Silva, Dushan Hemantha, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Lahiru Kumara and Dilshan Madushanka
Expected XI:
Pathum Nissanka
Dimuth Karunaratne/Kusal Perera
Kusal Mendis
Sadeera Samarawickrama
Charith Asalanka
Dhananjaya de Silva
Dasun Shanaka
Dunith Wellalage
Lahiru Kumara
Matheesha Pathirana
Maheesh Theekshana/Kasun Rajitha
Squad Analysis:
Pathum Nissanka is likely to play the anchor role at the top. It will be interesting to see who gets the nod initially to open with him. There is Kusal Perera, who can take on the bowlers and then there is Dimuth Karunaratne, who is much more solid and reliable. Kusal Mendis' and Sadeera Samarawickrama will have the responsibility of keeping the scorecard going during the middle overs. Both of them are good stroke players and get the runs quickly during the middle overs. Charith Asalanka's role would be finishing the innings. Though Dhananjaya de Silva is likely to bat at 6, he will be looked forward to when Sri Lanka looses wickets quickly and there is a need to rebuild the innings. His off spin will also be handy in the Indian pitches. Dasun Shanaka, who is not in the best of forms, can play quick fire innings in the lower order. With his performances in the recently conclued Asia Cup, Dunith Wellalage is likely to be the leading spinner for Sri Lanka. The pace attack is likely to be spearheaded by the experienced Lahiru Kumara and the young gun Matheesha Pathirana. One of Mahesh Theekshana and Kasun Rajitha is likely to play depending on the pitch and conditions.
Players to watch out for:
Pathum Nissanka:
The 25 year old right hander has so far scored 1396 runs from 40 ODIs at an average of 37.73. He will be crucial for providing stability at the top. He was instrumental in Sri Lanka's success at the World Cup Qualifiers scoring 417 runs at an average of 69.50. However, he had a disappointing Asia Cup, where he scored 132 runs at an average of only 22.
Kusal Mendis:
3215 runs at an average of 31.83 and a strike rate of 84.45 - Kusal Mendis' statistics in ODIs. But a lot better player than what the statistics suggests. He is a player with huge potential but very inconsistent. Sri Lanka would be wanting him to perform in full flow and consistently in the coming World Cup. He was the second leading run scorer in the recently concluded Asia Cup and Sri Lanka would be looking forward to see him perform even better in the World Cup.
Sadeera Samarawickrama:
Sadeera Samarawickrama has played quite a few impact full knocks in recent times like the 93(72) against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup. He can get runs quickly and him performing would greatly increase Sri Lanka's chances. He was a decent performer in the Asia but much more consistency would be expected from him.
Charith Asalanka:
Charith Asalanka is likely to do the finishing work for this Sri Lankan team. He has a pretty decent ODI record scoring 1272 runs at an average of 41.03 and strike rate of 89.26. His 49(47)* against Pakistan in the recent Asia Cup ensured Sri Lanka's entry into the finals.
Dunith Wellalage:
With Wanindu Hasaranga being ruled out of the World Cup, Sri Lanka would really Bank on him. In the recently conclued Asia Cup, he was at the top of his game picking up 10 wickets at an average of 17.90, which included a fifer against India. He also made some valuable contributions with the bat, scoring 33(39)* against Afghanistan and 42(46)* against India.
Matheesha Pathirana:
The 20 year old slinger is one of exciting prospects of the Sri Lankan team. Sri Lankans would be definitely seeing another Lasith Malinga in him. He has the ability to pick up wickets but at times can be expensive, on which he needs to work on. He has had a decent start to his ODI career and was the leading wicket taker in the recently conclued Asia Cup.
Fixtures for Sri Lanka in WC 2023:
1. vs South Africa in Delhi, Oct 7
2. vs Pakistan in Hyderabad, Oct 12
3. vs Australia in Lucknow, Oct 16
4. vs Netherlands in Lucknow, Oct 21
5. vs England in Bengaluru, Oct 26
6. vs Afghanistan in Pune, Oct 30
7. vs India in Mumbai, Nov 2
8. vs Bangladesh in Delhi, Nov 6
9. vs New Zealand in Bengaluru, Nov 9
Sri Lanka will fancy their chances against South Africa in the opener at Delhi. In the last ODI that was played here, South Africa struggled against the likes of Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar getting bowled out below 100. With a good spin attack, Sri Lanka might have an upper hand over South Africa here. They will also have good opportunity against the Bangladesh in the same ground. They will be in for an even fight against Pakistan in Hyderabad, which is expected to be a high scoring game. The game against Australia in Lucknow could be one of their most difficult match as it's likely to be favouring the batters and pacers more. However, they are expected to win against Netherlands in the same ground.
They will have a run for money against England in the high scoring Bangalore ground. However, if there is assistance for spinners, they will be in with a good chance. They are expected to find the proceedings relatively easy against the New Zealand in the same ground. Given Afghanistan's recent performances, they can pose a stiff challenge to the Sri Lankans. They play against India at the Wankhede in Mumbai on November 2, where they lost the World Cup final twelve and a half years ago.
Strengths:
The biggest strength for this Sri Lankan team would be their fighting spirit. They have given results beyond what was expected from them. In the recent times, almost all the cricketers have had some notable performances. They have played well as a team and not relied on few individual heroics. They don't have superstars but they have openers, middle-order batters, finishers, pacers and spinners who can get the job done.
Weakness:
The biggest weakness for them would be their inexperience. Barring Kusal Mendis and Kusal Perera, no one has played 100 ODIs. In the modern times, almost all teams have batsman averaging near 50 and striking at around 100. But in the Sri Lankan team, there is no player with 40+ average. At the same time, there are no players with 95+ strike rate as well.
