World Cup Teams Watch – Sri Lanka: Banking on youngsters, the Lions hope for a new dawn

It has been a while since we have seen Sri Lanka dictate world cricket on their own terms. From 1996 to 2011, the Lankans were a tough brand to deal with, particularly in the global tournaments where they won the crown in 1996 and followed that up with a semi-final finish in 2003 and runners-up of 2007 and 2011.

However, since then, the side has missed out on some serious firepower and despite their best attempt to get bigger names into the mix, they have only fallen short and have more or less been disastrous in the World Cup. In 2015, the side crashed out in the first quarter-final while in 2019 they couldn’t make it to the semis either.

However, the side would be hoping against hope that they are able to leave their poor run of form behind them and build a new legacy, paint a new dawn and more importantly garner momentum for the upcoming days. Without Wanindu Hasaranga in the mix, Sri Lanka will be hoping to get out a handful of decent performances from the youngsters such as Dunith Wellalage, Matheesha Pathirana among others, who have performed in recent times and will want to leave a mark on the big stage.

Recent Form:

After a scarring defeat in the Asia Cup final against India, Sri Lanka lost both their warm-up games, first against Bangladesh and then against Afghanistan. Going by the numbers, the team would actually be brimming with confidence that in the last 15 ODIs (barring the warm-ups), they have only been beaten by India with impressive wins against Bangladesh and Pakistan in the Asia Cup. However, on closer inspection one would find that the oppositions that they were up against, weren’t particularly equipped with the firepower that is there in a global tournament.

X Factors:

Dasun Shanaka

His recent numbers with the bat aren’t that promising with his average in single digits, however, knowing Shanaka and his proclivity of going big in the games that matter the most, the Lankan skipper is expected to step up when his team comes calling. He is a handy all-rounder but he has misplaced pessimism in his bowling flair. However, if he stays true to his strengths, we may also see Shanaka rolling his arms for a few considerable overs.

Matheesha Pathirana

It all depends on how Sri Lanka uses this raw talent as he can very well prove to be the next big thing in their arcade. Blessed with speeds up to 145 kays and gifted with an ability to ram in those ramrod straight sandshoe crushers, Pathirana is someone who can trouble the batters significantly with the new ball in his hand. Shanaka will be hoping for him to come alive when it matters the most.

Charith Asalanka

The southpaw has been the top-scorer for Sri Lanka at the number five position and forget coming close but no one else has even matched the technique of Asalanka in the squad. His unbeaten 49 against Pakistan in the Asia Cup is a testimony of what he is capable of when under pressure was proven with another gift of those witty off-breaks that threw India into utter disarray.

Areas to work on:

With Wanindu Hasaranga out of action for the World Cup, Sri Lanka will be desperate to find an all-rounder to get the job done in their lower middle-order. More importantly, their top order has failed to produce significant resistance and with that being said, unless this is addressed, no matter how good their middle-order comes, it will always be too much of an ask for the ones to follow suit.

Squad for World Cup:

Dasun Shanaka (C), Kusal Mendis (VC), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera (WK), Dimuth Karunaratne, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Sadeera Samarawickrama (wk), Dushan Hemantha, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, Dilshan Madushanka, Matheesha Pathirana, Lahiru Kumara