CHENNAI: It has been 23 years since Sri Lanka won their only World Cup. Things have changed a lot from that time. Although the exploits of Arjuna Ranatunga and Aravinda de Silva inspired the likes of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, the latter two had to retire with the coveted trophy still eluding the Emerald Isle.
For Sri Lanka, the preparations for this World Cup have been anything but smooth. While Dimuth Karunaratne was appointed as skipper after spending more than four years in ODI wilderness, their warm-up fixtures against South Africa and Australia also resulted in two defeats. So the big question is: how far can Dimuth take his team when they play New Zealand in their opener, in Cardiff on Saturday?
Former Australia cricketer and Sri Lanka’s World Cup winning coach Dav Whatmore believes that the current team has a challenging task at hand, and they don’t lag behind most of the teams talent-wise.
“It all boils down to how the senior players and the youngsters gel and form a fighting unit. Every team has match-winners. The big players must chip in. Sri Lanka has the aggression, there is no doubt about. It all boils down to how you get the combination right on a given day against the opposition you are going to play.”
The wickets and conditions in England will also pose a big challenge for any side, considering how conducive they’ve been for batsmen. “Understanding of the wickets and conditions are very important for any side. Weather can change drastically. You saw a couple of practice games being washed out. Sri Lanka have quite a few all-rounders in their ranks. Thisara Perera is one player who can change things single-handedly. His consistency will be the key for Sri Lanka’s success.”
Many expect former Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews and ace bowler Lasith Malinga to shoulder more responsibility. “Dimuth will look forward to Angelo and Malinga for inputs to go about the campaign since it is a long tournament. Angelo, in particular, must cut his flamboyancy and guide the lower middle-order and tail and try to post challenging totals. He is capable of doing the job. He knows pretty well the huge responsibility that lies on his shoulders. Malinga, if he plays the way he did in the IPL, Sri Lanka can be assured of winning close games.“But to get to that, they need to play as a unit and be consistent. Everyone is eager to see how Sri Lanka start their campaign in the World Cup.”
