Predicted XI of Sri Lanka for ICC Champions Trophy

If there is one team that has suffered a lot in the recent times due to the departure of their legendary greats from the team, then it is team Sri Lanka. They have been severely hit with the retirement of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene. A long time has passed since their retirement, but the youngsters have failed to fill in the big boots and void left by the two stalwarts.

The new look Sri Lanka side definitely needs to pull up their socks if they wish to excel in the upcoming edition of the ICC Champions Trophy. The task will definitely not be easy for them since they are still in the transition period of becoming a settled side. Moreover, their recent run of form has not been too pleasing either. They were beaten in the ODI series in South Africa earlier this season.

Later, they were stunned by the Bangladeshis at home when the visitors came up with a series-leveling effort in all the three formats of the game. Action moved to the English conditions, and the first outing for them was an upset. Scotland beat them brutally in a practice game. The warm-up fixtures went down to the wire but Sri Lanka ended up being on the losing side against Australia and New Zealand.

Now, their skipper Angelo Mathews has been reportedly been ruled out of their tournament opening fixture against South Africa. His fitness and hamstring injury needs to be ascertained soon. In the meantime, the team management has a lot to think about the combinations.

We bring you to the Predicted XI Pakistan are likely to stick in with during the course of the 18-day tournament:

Openers (Niroshan Dickwella, Upul Tharanga)

Hard-hitting opening batsman Niroshan Dickwella has found a very stable position in the opening slot for the Sri Lankan team. He has been very consistent in getting runs at the top of the order. Dickwella ensures that the team gets off to a flying start in the innings. The only concern for him has been his inability to convert the good starts to big finishes. He scored 25 and 41 in the two warm-ups and would want to contribute more with the bat. With the gloves, he has been quite impressive.

Dickwella is likely to be partnered with veteran campaigner Upul Tharanga. Tharanga has been with the national side for quite a long time. His experience will be severely needed at the top of the fragile batting order. In case Angelo Mathews does not get fit, Tharanga will be leading the Sri Lanka side. After having failed in the first warm-up game, he scored a brilliant 110 in the game against New Zealand.

Middle-order (Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera/Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Chamara Kapugedara)

Much like the opening batsmen, the middle-order of the Sri Lankan camp also lacks consistency. Kusal Mendis is a very talented batsman who has shown his prowess with the bat in the recent times. A score of 57 in the warm-up matches only strengthened his claim in the batting order. However, he failed to back it up with another good score.

Skipper Angelo Mathews will be the middle-order mainstay of the batting line up. He had top scored in the first warm-up against Australia and was the lone ranger for the team in the game. However, with fitness concerns lingering over him, it is likely that Kusal Perera will replace him in the middle-order. Perera can be a hard-hitter in the middle order.

Dinesh Chandimal is a seasoned campaigner for team Sri Lanka. Albeit he has not been in the best of forms in the recent times, Chandimal has the ability to go great guns when needed. He has been a top performer for the team and is one of the senior members in the lineup. He will be expected to shoulder the bulk of the responsibility since there are clouds over the availability of Mathews.

All-rounders (Asela Gunaratne, Thisara Perera)

All-rounder Asela Gunaratne has been the find of the season for Sri Lanka this year. He has contributed with both bat and the ball in the recent times. His superlative time in both the departments saw him cement his spot in the playing eleven. In the first warm-up against Australia, he smacked an unbeaten 70 off mere 56 deliveries in a game when most batsmen scored with a strike rate less than 100.

Thisara Perera is a veteran player in the lineup and will be expected to bring in all his experience to use when he takes the field for the Sri Lanka team. Perera is a proven hitter of the cricket ball and is known to be an impact player in the death overs.

Bowlers (Nuwan Kulasekara, Lakshan Sandakan, Lasith Malinga)

In the bowling department, the team is likely to go ahead with two pacers and a specialist spinner. Lasith Malinga will spearhead the bowling attack. In his most recent international assignment, against Bangladesh, he had scalped a T20 hat-trick. However, he has not been in the best of forms since then. He failed to take wickets on a consistent basis in the IPL.

Nuwan Kulasekara is also an experienced bowler. While Malinga will be expected to fire in some pace deliveries, Nuwan Kulasekara will be expected to exploit the conditions with his swing bowling skills. He has a very deceptive slower ball in his armory which can come in handy for the team in the tournament.

Lakshan Sandakan is relatively new to international cricket. He will definitely want to stamp his authority on the big stage with spirited show. A decent outing for him could do a world of good to his international cricket career. He was very expensive in the warm-up games and would want to improve on that.