ICC World Cup 2019 – Match 3: NZ vs SL – Sri Lanka Predicted Playing XI

The standard of Sri Lanka cricket has stooped to an all-time low since 2016. Their ODI win percentage in 2016, 2017 and 2018 has been just 37.5, 17.9 and 37.5 respectively. The performances further took a slump in 2019 and the side has just won 11.1 per cent of the games they played this year. Their only win in the last five ODIs came against Scotland which shows the plight of the side at the moment.

There have been several captaincy changes and there has been no stability whatsoever. This Sri Lankan team can easily be termed as one of the weakest that is ever playing in the World Cup. They will be up against a strong New Zealand side in their opening encounter and a lot of things need to be corrected if they are to win this encounter. It all starts with picking the right playing eleven by analyzing the conditions and opposition well.

Here is the Predicted Playing XI for Sri Lanka:

Openers (Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Lahiru Thirimanne)

The short honeymoon period for Dimuth Karunaratne as the Sri Lankan captain is over and he’s got to mean business from now on. Every move that he makes on the field will be closely scrutinized and he has no option but to be at his best. But more than anything else, it is important for him to lead the side from the front with the bat.

His team has struggled a lot with the willow in recent times. Thus, it is important for him to set up a good base initially. He will be assisted by Lahiru Thirimanne to do this job. Thirimanne is another experienced player in this side and needs to take the onus upon himself to deliver the goods. He did well against Australia scoring 56 runs and will need to continue with the good work.

Middle Order (Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera (wk), Angelo Mathews)

Kusal Perera and Kusal Mendis are getting immense backing from the management like no other players. This duo, highly talented, has found the consistency to be their biggest nemesis. Even if one of them manages to put on a big score, the Sri Lanka team will be placed in an excellent position. It is important for them to understand their roles and play their cricket sensibly.

Angelo Mathews, after all the controversies in the last twelve months, will be playing yet another World Cup. In the last five years, no other Sri Lankan batsman has managed to score more runs than him. Although he doesn’t bowl much now, he is capable enough to fit into this team purely as a batsman and will have a huge role to fulfill.

All Rounders (Dhananjaya de Silva, Thisara Perera, Isuru Udana)

Sri Lanka, like many other teams, has got quite a few all-rounders in their squad. For the first game, Dhananjaya de Silva, Thisara Perera and Isuru Udana are likely to take the field. Dhananjaya will be the finisher in this side and has got to score runs at a fair clip towards the end. He should look to improve upon his ODI strike rate in the upcoming tournament to make a difference.

Perera, on the other hand, can be the floater in the side. Once he manages to find some momentum, he can be unstoppable. He also offers some valuable overs with the ball. Sri Lanka must look to promote Isuru Udana slightly up the order. He is an aggressive batsman and is capable of taking the attack to the best of oppositions. He will also have to handle the death over bowling for his team.

Bowlers (Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, Jeffrey Vandersay)

Lasith Malinga had a crucial role to play in the success of Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2019. He bowled a great last over in the final and won his team the title. Although not as effective as he was in the past, Malinga has still got it in him. Even though he is slightly more expensive now, he manages to pick up important wickets putting brakes on the oppositions’ scoring rates.

He will, yet again, be important for his team at the death. Suranga Lakmal and Jeffrey Vandersay will complete the line-up for Sri Lanka. Lakmal is likely to open the bowling and is usually quite economical. On the other hand, Vandersay can provide a few breakthroughs in the middle overs with his leg-spin bowling. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he opens the bowling to test someone like Martin Guptill.