World Cup 2023 | SWOT Analysis of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka will be looking to recover from their loss in the warm-up match against Bangladesh and perform better in World Cup 2023 (Source: AP Photos)
The 2023 World Cup is knocking at the door with ten participants on queue. Each nation will be battling against one another in a round-robin format and the top four will make it to the semi-finals. From all the teams, not everyone seems excited about a community that dresses the blue-yellow and tame the opponents like a Lion.
Yes, the Lankan Lions. The 1996 World Champions suffered a turbulence post 2014 but seems to be picking themselves up in recent times. They became the Asia Cup winners in 2022 and followed it by finishing runners-up in 2023 without four of their premier bowlers. This Sri Lankan side is not about the big names- the Jayawardene's, the Sangakkara's, the Jayasuriya's but it is more about a unit, that gets gels together as a rebellion in the field of bat versus ball.
Dasun Shanaka will be leading the troop for the big event and the major news circulating is that ace spinner, Wanindu Hasaranga failed to cross the benchmark of fitness and will not be available. He can be available later in the tournament only as a replacement substitute, provided fully fit. Barring this, how does the Asian side fare on paper? Their- Strengths, Weakness, Opportunity, Threats, let us have a glimpse at all of them.
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Sri Lanka Squad for World Cup 2023:
Dasun Shanaka (Captain), Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Janith Perera (wk), Kusal Mendis (wk), Charith Asalanka, Sadeera Samarawickrama (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Dushan Hemantha, Lahiru Kumara, Dilshan Madushanka, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana.
Strength of Sri Lanka for World Cup 2023
Strong middle-order
How often have we witnessed the Sri Lankan middle order batters rescue a collapse in the past couple of years? It was quite eminent even during the recently concluded Asia Cup where Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kusal Mendis, and Charith Asalanka steadied the crumbling ship on various occasions. Sri Lanka does boast of middle-order batting prowess and espcially in subcontinents. The likes of Asalanka, Samarawickrama and Mendis are brilliant players of spin and have the ability to soak up pressure and seed runs into the soil. Also, not to forget Dhananjaya de Silva, who showed valiance and determination at various stages of the game in the past few years.
Home alike conditions
Grip, turn, drift, uneven bounce at times- these are all the terms/phrases that excites a finger spinner. Yes, Sri Lanka does possess some spinning resource who could extract gold out of coal. Although Wanindu Hasaranga failed to make the squad for the World Cup due to an injury, the likes of Mahesh Theekshana, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dunith Wellalage and Dushan Hemantha may do the needful on home like conditions in India. Venues like Delhi, Lucknow, Gujarat, Chennai are likely to assist the spinners as the tournament progress and this is where the Lankan side can capitalize.
Weakness of Sri Lanka for World Cup 2023
Inexperienced pace attack
There was a time when Chaminda Vaas, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga were among the prominent names in pace bowling across nations. But if looked at the current pace battery of the former Asian Champions, none of them threatens in this format. Yes, Lahiru Kumara has pace, but he is erratic with the line and length and is arriving on the back of injury. Yes, Dilshan Madushanka and Maheesh Theekshana are young and impressive but are yet to be tested in the bigger international stages. Interestingly, Kasun Rajitha, who has a bowling average of 35. 53 in India seems to be the leader of the pack for the Island nation.
Opportunity of Sri Lanka for World Cup 2023
Captain Shanaka?
When Sri Lanka won the Asia Cup 2022, nobody raised questions at skipper Dasun Shanaka. When Sri Lanka became the champions of World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe, hardly people talked about skipper Shanaka. But when the the then defending champions suffered a humiliating loss against a brilliant Indian side in the Asia Cup Final 2023, the board members and upper hierarchy pointed fingers at captain Shanaka. Such is the nature of this cricketing atmosphere.
Despite the hard work Shanaka has put in rebuilding this team during the nations' crisis period, questions on his leadership quality hovered ahead of the World Cup 2023. Ultimately, the decision was to stick with the 32-year-old. This is the perfect opportunity for Shanaka to shut the critics and prove everyone wrong. If a team can make the finals of Asian rivalries and give tough fights (such as against Afghanistan and Pakistan in the Asia Cup) to higher ranked nations, they can certainly do a lot better in the even bigger stages.
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Threats of Sri Lanka for World Cup 2023
Missing cards from the puzzle
Injuries does play a part in shaping careers of athletes and it is no stranger to the gentleman's game. Various teams have incurred blows in the form of players withstanding injuries. Similar has been the case with the Lankan Lions.
The Island nation missed out on the service of superlative spinning all-rounder, Wanindu Hasaranga for the World Cup 2023. They also failed to rope in the express paceman Dushmantha Chameera who failed to recuperate from a shoulder injury suffered during the 2023 Lanka Premier League. In contrary, pacers Lahiru Kumara and Dilshan Madushanka have returned from their exile but lacks game time. Henceforth Sri Lankan management may have a tough challenge to set their strongest playing XI in the upcoming quadrennial event.
Team Report Card- Sri Lanka
| Attribute | Balance Rating |
|---|---|
| Top-order | 6/10 |
| Middle-order | 7/10 |
| Lower-order | 6/10 |
| Pace bowling | 5/10 |
| Spin bowling | 8/10 |
| Total Rating | 6.4/10 |
Prediction of Sri Lanka for World Cup 2023
Sri Lanka look like the dark horse of the tournament. Had any SENA nation be a host, then probably the Lions would not get the dark horse' stature. It won't be a shocker if Sri Lanka defeats some of the highly ranked teams of the tournament. At the max, they could make the semi-finals.
 "Arijit Kundu")
