3 major weaknesses in Sri Lanka's 2023 World Cup squad
Sri Lanka, who gained entry into the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, being held in India, thanks to winning the qualifiers held in Zimbabwe earlier this year, will be looking to prove a lot of their detractors wrong.
The conditions in India, which are expected to be similar to what they are used to back home, will assist them tremendously. It remains to be seen how well they adapt to them and make it count amongst the other, much-vaunted sides in the tournament.
The hamstring injury to Wanindu Hasaranga has cost Sri Lanka dearly, but they will look to move on from that debacle. Hasaranga's absence gives a younger player the opportunity to put his hand up and showcase his wares here in the biggest cricketing event of all.
However, this means that they have a lot of inexperience in their bowling attack, despite the presence of some fresh and exciting talents in Maheesh Theekshana and Dunith Wellalage.
Skipper Dasun Shanaka has retained his place in the squad both as a player and the captain despite the embarrassing 10-wicket loss his side faced to India in the final of the Asia Cup played last month.
It appears as if the selectors have tried to cover most bases, and to some extent, they have managed to do so. Their middle-order looks solid on paper, although it has to be said that form has not been kind to them in the recent past.
The Lankan lions begin their tournament on October 7 when they take on South Africa at the Arun Jaitley Stadium (formerly known as the Feroz Shah Kotla) in New Delhi.
Nonetheless, Sri Lanka have some gaping holes in their squad, which we will try to highlight in this listicle:
#1 Opening woes
Although Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis make up three of the openers chosen by the Sri Lankan selectors for the World Cup, none of them except Mendis inspire any confidence.
Karunaratne, despite being a fabulous opener in the longer format of the game, hardly has any experience and averages a paltry 32 in ODI cricket. A lot has to be borne by Mendis if Nissanka or Karunaratne do not get going.
Nissanka might get the nod ahead of his more experienced left-handed partner, but it remains to be seen if he will be able to build big partnerships along with Mendis.
Nissanka is an aggressive opener and he will have to take the lead in case he starts opening with Mendis. The latter - it goes without saying - has to play a huge role for Sri Lanka in the World Cup.
#2 Inexperienced bowling attack
Apart from Kasun Rajitha and Lahiru Kumara (the latter was incidentally brought back into the fold for the World Cup), Sri Lanka do not have too many experienced bowlers in their attack.
Dunith Wellalage, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka, and even Maheesh Theekshana are all young and relatively inexperienced. This will be their first World Cup, so it remains to be seen how they adapt to such a big stage.
The injury to Wanindu Hasaranga has cost Sri Lanka dearly, and now it is up to the others in the bowling attack to make it count.
This is a very good opportunity and challenge for the youngsters in the bowling attack to stand up and make a name for themselves. Rajitha and Kumara - the two experienced players - have to counsel their young colleagues whenever things go awry.
#3 Lack of form among middle-order batters
One of the biggest concerns for Sri Lanka coming into this World Cup is the lack of form among their middle-order batters. Skipper Dasun Shanaka, who bats in the lower middle order, has been desperately short of form of late, as has been Charith Asalanka.
Dhananjaya de Silva and Sadeera Samarawickrama have only shown in patches what they can do, and they will have to rally together to help Sri Lanka put up big totals on the board whenever they are batting first.
Skipper Shanaka's poor form concerned the Sri Lankan selectors so much that it was rumored they were considering sacking him as captain. Thankfully, they did not take the extreme step.
Shanaka's leadership skills are quite highly rated, and one can expect him to come good with the bat sooner rather than later.