ICC World Cup 2019 – Match 35: SL vs SA – Sri Lanka Predicted Playing XI

Not many gave Sri Lanka a chance during their last game against England. It was presumed that the hosts will register an easy victory. However, Sri Lanka played out of their skin in this match. Despite having a low total on the board, the Islanders put up a spirited fight to keep their hopes alive in the tournament by registering their second victory.

However, their job isn’t done as yet. They will need a few more wins under their belt to get close to one of the top four spots. Sri Lanka will be facing South Africa in their next match. With the Proteas already out of the tournament, they will look play the party spoilers and should give the Lankans a tough time.

Here is the Predicted Playing XI for Sri Lanka

Openers (Dimuth Karunaratne (C), Kusal Perera (wk))

While they’ve been in good form, both the Sri Lankan openers failed to make it big in the last game against Sri Lanka. Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Perera got out for 1 and 2 runs respectively and couldn’t make the opportunity count. However, they’d clearly know the magnitude of the upcoming encounter.

Thus, it is important for them to see that the team gets off to a positive start. If they manage to build a good foundation, the middle order, which has just seemed to found some form, can capitalise later on. Karunaratne has amassed 257 runs in the last five games that he played while Perera mustered 169.

Middle Order (Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews)

The return of Avishka Fernando at number three will provide Sri Lanka with a breath of fresh air. He is a consistent player and a good pick to have at number three. Fernando played well in the last match and got 49 runs at a really good pace. Kusal Mendis, though, looked to take his time and got out after getting 46.

However, the biggest positive for Sri Lanka is Angelo Mathews’ performance. He was unbeaten on 85 that would’ve helped him gain his confidence back. Mathews struggled to get bat to the ball before that and this would come as a huge sigh of relief. It is important for the middle order to perform at a more consistent basis.

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

Thisara Perera is still yet to find form in the tournament. Thus far in the tournament, he has hardly made any difference to the team. Being the senior player in the team, Perera should find his form back as soon as possible. Dhananjaya de Silva had a great outing in the last match. He made a valuable contribution with the bat and picked up three wickets with the ball.

Sri Lanka will hope for more of such performances from him. Isuru Udana did a good job with the ball but needs to start delivering with the bat as well. Jeevan Mendis is likely to hold on to his spot in the side and didn’t really have much to do in the last match.

Bowlers (Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Pradeep)

Lasith Malinga was the chief architect of Sri Lanka’s win in the last match. The veteran cricketer put his hand up at the right time and came up with a terrific performance. Thus, the expectations on him will be quite high in the next few games and Malinga will want to do well in what, in all likelihood, will be his final World Cup. Nuwan Pradeep will share the new ball with Malinga.