ICC World Cup 2019: Match 39, SL vs WI – Sri Lanka Player Ratings

Got a brilliant start with the bat and should’ve made it count by making it big. He registered a good partnership though alongside Kusal Perera and scored 32 off 45 balls. Karunaratne wasn’t very smart with his bowling changes and the bad shuffling left him with no choice but to go for Mathews to bowl, which eventually turned out to be pivotal.

Kusal Perera – 7/10

A lot was expected from Kusal Perera in this World Cup, but he showed his skill in short glimpses. He played some stunning shots today, got going and if not for the unfortunate run-out, he could’ve gone very big today. Perera scored a brilliant 64 off just 51 balls, which included 8 boundaries.

Avishka Fernando – 9/10

After a couple of good starts which went in vain, Avishka Fernando finally scored a big ton which definitely was on cards. The 21-year-old did a great job in helping the scorecard accelerate towards the end of the innings. His 104 included 9 fours and 2 sixes and this could be the start of a glorious chapter in Sri Lankan history.

Kusal Mendis – 5/10

Avishka Fernando didn’t take long to consolidate on a start and not throw away his wicket, but Kusal Mendis is still struggling in that regard. He looked in good nick and stroked the ball nicely. The 85-run partnership between him and Fernando was very important in helping the Lankans up the ante.

Angelo Mathews – 4/10

This was worth a 2 or 3 out of 10 from Mathews, but he picked up the most important wicket of Nicholas Pooran and provided a decisive blow. Apart from that gritty half-century against England, Angelo Mathews has not done anything significant in this World Cup. With a six and a couple of boundaries, he started off on a positive note before Holder disturbed the timber behind him with a peach.

Lahiru Thirimanne – 6/10

A good innings from the experienced southpaw who struggled to get going in the first half of the tournament. He came into the XI for this game after sitting out for some time and contributed a crucial cameo. Thirimanne scored an unbeaten on 45 off 33 balls with five fours to his name.

Dhananjaya de Silva – 5/10

He faced just three deliveries with the bat but was decent with his off-break bowling. He failed to pick a wicket on the day but on a track where over 330 runs were scored in the first innings, it was great for him to return with an economy around 5.

Isuru Udana – 3/10

Udana was expensive with the ball and didn’t get an opportunity to bat. He was one of the victims of the Nicholas Pooran onslaught and gave away 67 runs in his 10 overs. Sri Lanka very nearly blew up a great advantage but they just held their nerve well enough.

Lasith Malinga – 8/10

One of the masters of deceiving batsmen with his trickery, Malinga struck twice in two consecutive overs in the powerplay to give a solid start with the ball for the Lankan Lions. He came back, in the end, to pick up another wicket after Pooran’s dismissal and finished with figures of 3/55.

Jeffrey Vandersay – 4/10

Jeffrey Vandersay came in place of the under-performing Jeevan Mendis and didn’t look very consistent with the ball. He bowled some very poor deliveries and got the bashing it deserved, but he picked up one crucial wicket of Jason Holder, who was looking dangerous.

Kasun Rajitha – 3/10

Kasun Rajitha picked up the all-important wicket of Chris Gayle and kept targetting him with the short-delivery, ultimately reaping a reward. But when the chips were down during Pooran’s onslaught, he looked clueless and bowled some wayward deliveries. He returned with mediocre figures of 1/76 in his 10 overs.