3 positives for Sri Lanka from their 2023 World Cup campaign
Sri Lanka's campaign at the 2023 World Cup came to an end on Thursday, November 9, with a five-wicket thumping at the hands of New Zealand at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
The former world champions were already out of the race for the semifinals ahead of the contest but still had a lot to play for, with a spot in the Champions Trophy 2025 up for grabs.
A collective failure with the bat, however, saw them muster just 171, which the Blackcaps chased down without breaking a sweat. Sri Lanka finished the tournament with just two wins to their credit, and their Champions Trophy hopes hang by a thread.
They now need at least one of England or Bangladesh to lose their last game by a margin heavy enough to push their net run rate below the Lankans', apart from relying on India to defeat the Netherlands.
Despite enduring a disappointing 2023 World Cup campaign, there certainly remain some positives for Sri Lanka to cling onto moving forward. Let's take a look at three of them:
#1 Dilshan Madushanka stepped up as a bowling leader
There was always an air of excitement around Dilshan Madushanka when he made his mark in international cricket at the Asia Cup in 2022. A string of injuries have stunted his career, but having got through the entirety of the 2023 World Cup, he was a lone spark in an otherwise ordinary Sri Lankan attack.
With 21 wickets at 25 apiece, Madushanka is currently the highest wicket-taker of the tournament and ends 13 scalps clear of Sri Lanka's next best, Kasun Rajitha. Nine of those wickets came in the powerplay - the second-most after South Africa's Marco Jansen. While his ability to swing the ball was on full display, he also used his cutters and a deceptive slower bouncer to great effect.
All of 23, Madushanka's best years are still to come. He isn't a finished product, and his skills at the death are yet to be tested. But there is no denying the fact that he walks away as Sri Lanka's best player at the 2023 World Cup, and if he stays free of injury, a long and fruitful career beckons.
#2 Sri Lanka's batting order is coming together
Keep aside the fact that Sri Lanka crumbled against New Zealand and came a cropper against India. Their batting was still the more reliable of the two suits throughout the 2023 World Cup and there were numerous instances of the same, starting with the very first game, where they gave it everything in pursuit of 429 against South Africa.
Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka and Sadeera Samarawickrama all had their moments and stepped up at different junctures. Each of them finished with an average of 36 or above with at least 288 runs in their kitty at the 2023 World Cup, as Samarawickrama stood out of the pack with 373 runs at an average of 53.28.
And of course, there's Kusal Mendis, who began the tournament with a bang. His returns took a steep nosedive after the first two games - coincidentally, as he assumed the reins of captaincy.
But these four players, who constitute the batting core in the top five, certainly have what it takes to take their game up even further and potentially serve Sri Lankan cricket for a long time to come. It is a core that must be invested in, for they could possibly walk into the ODI World Cup XI in 2027 given their caliber and age.
#3 Sri Lanka found a way to survive despite being ravaged by injuries
Two wins out of nine doesn't paint a pretty picture. But you cannot deny that Sri Lanka found their way out of trouble at different junctures despite losing a host of players to injury at the start of and during the 2023 World Cup, including their regular skipper Dasun Shanaka.
For the record, they had as many as 18 players participating in this World Cup, easily the most used by any of the 10 teams. They couldn't call upon bowling leader Dushmantha Chameera at the start, even though he recovered in time to join as a replacement player. And of course, there was the matter of not having spin ace Wanindu Hasaranga for the whole tournament.
In spite of this all, they had useful contributions at different points. Kasun Rajitha bagged a four-fer against the Netherlands, while Lahiru Kumara blew England away with a three-wicket burst in Bengaluru.
Their fielders threw themselves around the park in that game, in particular. Sri Lanka continued to fight on against Pakistan and Bangladesh even though results didn't go their way. Oh, and Maheesh Theekshana's batting contributions and the manner in which he didn't throw the towel in must be mentioned as well.
It only tells you what a full-strength Sri Lanka are capable of doing in this format as they play together a lot more in due course of time. They can leave the 2023 World Cup with these positives and hope that this team will get better to bring glory back to the country.
What was the biggest positive from Sri Lanka's 2023 World Cup campaign according to you? Have your say in the comments section below!