‘We have a good unit’ – boasts Mathews as Sri Lanka eye T20 plum
Skipper Wanindu Hasaranga and his team were engaged in religious ceremonies prior to the departure to USA
The Sri Lankan cricket team embarked on their journey to the ICC World T20 tournament with high hopes and aspirations, aiming to reclaim the prestigious title they secured a decade ago under the captaincy of the legendary Lasith Malinga. Departing in the early hours of Tuesday, the squad carries the dreams of a nation eager to witness a resurgence in their cricketing prowess.
Amidst the backdrop of a storied cricketing history, Sri Lanka’s performance in recent years has been somewhat inconsistent, marked by flashes of brilliance and periods of rebuilding. However, as they set sail for the global stage, there is a sense of optimism within the camp, fueled by a blend of seasoned veterans and promising young talents which comprise the national squad.
The island nation boasts of a team mix of experience and youth with the likes of Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Kusal Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva providing the experience and leadership necessary for navigating the challenges of elite competition. Supported by the exuberance of emerging stars such as Charith Asalanka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Pathum Nissanka, Matheesha Pathirana, Nuwan Thushara and Dilshan Madushanka, Sri Lanka presents a formidable lineup capable of making significant strides in the tournament.
While acknowledging the formidable competition that awaits them, the Sri Lankan contingent remains undaunted, drawing strength from their collective resolve and determination. With meticulous preparation and strategic planning, they aim to go the distance to win the cup that has been elusive from the Lions since 2014.
“We have got a very good unit,” said Angelo Mathews–the only remaining cricketer from the 2014 T20 World Cup winning team.
“We have a number of world-class cricketers who can single-handedly win a match for us. That gives us a competitive advantage. We also had a very good training period at home and we are arriving in the USA well in advance to get acclimatised to conditions there”.
Angelo Mathews is the only player remaining in the side from 2014 ICC T20 World Cup winning side and is one of the most senior campaigners of this year's T20 World Cup in Americas
Mathews was referring to players like Hasaranga, the Sri Lankan skipper who shares the World No.1 T20 all-rounder rankings with Shakib-ul-Hasan–the Bangladeshi all-rounder, explosive opener Nissanka, slingers Pathirana and Thushara.
Mathews, who missed out on the last two T20 World Cups due to a youth policy adhered to by the previous selectors, believes this team could go all the way to win the tournament as pitches are expected to be to the likings of the slow bowlers.
It’s widely expected that the pitches in the USA and West Indies would favour slow bowlers, the reason why the selectors strengthened the team with an additional spinner in Dunith Wellalage. Apart from the two frontliners Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana, there are also part-time spin options of Charith Asalanka and Dhananjaya de Silva. They also have Vijayakanth Viyaskanth among the travelling reserves.
“We anticipate the pitches to be on the slower side with some uneven bounce. In the recent past we had played in this format with only two spinners, but during this World Cup, we may have to deploy three of them and that was also part of the reasoning behind his selection. We also looked at his (Dunith Wellalage) batting and in certain games, we may be forced to go for a spinning all-rounder, instead of a fast-bowling all-rounder and that too was a factor,” explained chief selector Upul Tharanga at a media briefing in Colombo on Monday.
“They say that though the pitches have been brought down from Australia, it will be more on the slow side with wickets being uneven. But, this could still change and we need to go there and see what it would be like.”
Dhananjaya de Silva, though benefited from selectors’ decision to pack the team with spinners, the chances of him making the playing XI are remote as Tharanga ruled out the 32-year-old walking straight to the playing XI. De Silva has not been regular in the T20 sides, even though he has featured in the last two World T20s in 2021 and 2022.
“As for Dhananjaya, we value his bowling. And with regard to power-hitting, we think we can get that from elsewhere in the side. In terms of his all-round input, and taking into consideration the conditions, he was a better option. But he is definitely not in the first playing XI,” he explained.
The selectors also explained that the uncapped Viyaskanth, who had impressed in the LPL in recent seasons as well as the ILT20 earlier this year, had been picked as a travelling reserve ahead of the likes of Jeffrey Vandersay and Akila Dananjaya, owing to him being more suited to the conditions.
“Viyaskanth is tall and has a higher arm action, and because of that, we thought he would suit the West Indian conditions better. We also looked at Akila Dananjaya and Jeffrey Vandersay, and compared to them. Viyaskanth has bowled more in franchise cricket, and so we thought he’s best suited to fill in in the case of any injury,” said Ajantha Mendis, a co-selector.
Speaking on the firepower Sri Lanka got, leading into the team, the former Sri Lanka white-ball skipper said Sri Lanka has enough power-hitters to help team’s success in the tournament.
“From the 15 players we’ve selected, I think we have the necessary power in the side in terms of batters. In the opening slots, we have Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka, then we have Kamindu, Asalanka, there’s Wanindu and Shanaka. So we have faith that we can cover the power side of the game with those players,” he added.
The ongoing IPL has seen batters dominating the proceeding in most games and teams posting totals over 200 frequently, but Tharanga says the conditions will be quite different in the US and West Indies.
“If you look at scores in the West Indies historically, as well as the US, average scores are around 160. But until we play on them we won’t know how such wickets behave. But I do believe that this a team capable of meeting any challenge.”
Sri Lanka play South Africa, Bangladesh, the Netherlands, and Nepal in the first round.