If Sri Lanka’s fans feel heartbroken at this time with their team’s poor performance, then it’s hardly a surprise. For sure, the team that was the World Cup winner back in 1996 is under repair at the moment with a new unit finding their feet, but the ongoing World Cup saw more mediocrity from the Lankans than solid performances.
The team won only two out of their eight games and did not make it into the semi-finals.
Was that hugely surprising?
Clearly, the team for whom the likes of Sangakkara and Jayawardene once played big roles in the past were not close to being the best this time around.
But just how bad did the 2023 World Cup for the side?
Against India, Sri Lanka lost by a comprehensive margin and managed to score just 55 runs, which happened somehow.
An utter failure from their batters culminated in one of the second-lowest totals scored in the history of a World Cup game.
How embarrassing was that?
In the mid-tournament, Sri Lanka faced three consecutive losses putting them out of the race for semis. It also meant they’d occupy position #8 on the league table.
Also, some instances of fighting among themselves and disunity are said to be one of the reasons why they failed to perform well in that particular World Cup contest.
There were several factors that contributed to their poor performance, including:
Lack of consistency
Sri Lanka could not repeat good performance in every match as they were thrashed with large score lines while making little effort against their opponents.
They won a couple of matches but lost more and weren’t able to build the right momentum that could guide their way to the semifinals.
They registered easy wins against England but lost a couple of games with narrow margins against Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
Batting failures
Batters of Sri Lanka were completely out of touch in the entire tournament against heavy bowling attacks, it was difficult for them to score big runs, and they tended to lose wickets in groups.
The team got bundled out for just 55 runs in the match against India, and their top order struggled to make a big impact. Kusal Perera played 8 matches and scored just 98 runs, on the other hand, Kusal Mendis couldn’t perform consistently for the team scoring 288 runs in 9 matches.
The team further missed out on some important players like Wanindu Hasaranga and Dasun Shanaka which contributed to this problem and weakened the batting unit.
Bowling problems
The Sri Lankan bowling in the entire tournament was very ordinary as they lacked intent, and failed to pick up crucial wickets that could make their comeback in the important matches. They were not able to bowl regular wickets and often conceded runs in the slog-overs period.
The major reason for this was the inexperienced bowling attack and the absence of their star wicket-taker Matheesha Pathirana.
The only good sign in the bowling unit is Dilshan Madhushanka as he is the leading wicket-taker of the tournament but on the other hand, he didn’t receive the support from other bowlers as Kasun Rajitha managed to pick 8 wickets in 6 matches, Maheesh Theekshana grabbed 5 wickets in 7 matches.
However, every situation has its positives and negatives like a coin with heads and tails. Despite their shortcomings, Sri Lanka did manage to find some aspects during the tournament.
Having said that, what were the positives at the back of which Sri Lanka came as far as they could manage? Why to only remain focused on the negatives; let’s get to the other side of the spectrum to see what lies there:
Solid Middle Order
One key positive for the island nation was the performance of Sadeera Samarawickrama in the order.
He scored 372 runs in 8 innings with an average of 62.
The committed batsman played some Innings for the team during times although he didn’t receive much support from his fellow teammates.
Moreover, Samarawickrama played outstanding knocks against England, Pakistan, and Netherlands leading the side from the front on his debut World Cup.
Death Over Bowling
Another positive aspect was Dilshan Madushanka’s form as a bowler.
While Sri Lankan bowling struggled to take wickets at moments Madushanka consistently managed to pick up wickets at intervals. He is currently leading the tournament wicket-takers list with 21 wickets in 8 matches. He took a 5-wicket haul against India’s strong batting unit and stunned fans with his ability to swing the bowl and his slow deliveries.
Although Sri Lanka couldn’t progress to the semi-finals of the ICC World Cup 2023 due to their lack of unity as a team, it’s not hard to note they gained experience and would want to reflect before bouncing back stronger.
For sure, they’ve identified some key positives in the form of new and rising talents that can hopefully change things around.
image source– ICC Cricket World Cup