Asia Cup 2018: Assessing the contenders for the tournament

#3 Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka needs to find motivation from its senior players.

For starters, the Sri Lankans just need to look into the short history of the Asia Cup and it isn’t too difficult to notice the impact that their fellow countrymen have had on the tournament. Leading the tournament batting charts are Sanath Jayasuriya (1196 runs at 54.36) and Kumar Sangakkara (1075 runs at 48.86) and the top three wicket takers are Muttiah Muralitharan (30 wickets), Lasith Malinga (28 wickets) and Ajantha Mendis (26 wickets).

After the appointment of head coach Chandika Hathurusingha, Sri Lanka has been a side that’s on the rise. They’re still quite the distance away from being perfect, but it seems to me that the team is in the right hands. Despite surrendering the ODI series to South Africa 3-2, the Lankans displayed some serious fighting spirit and boasted the kind of potential they possess.

Captain Angelo Mathews should ideally bat at number 4, face the majority of the deliveries and act as a bridge between the top and middle order by batting through the innings. There’s unpredictability but quality upfront with Dickwella, who doesn’t shy away from playing his shots.

Dinesh Chadimal’s comeback is a much-welcomed one for Sri Lanka, he’s pure quality and adds some much-needed stability at the top. Upul Tharanga has to find a way to shed off the poor form and play the long kinds of innings that he’s known for. He’s enjoyed a good domestic run though, in the Sri Lankan T20 cup.

Kusal Perera should be used as a floater. The left-hander can be destructive and has worked very hard on his game in the last 6 months or so, something that the numbers are reflective of. Thisara Perera, too, has reinvented himself as a cricketer and that has led to a big change in his numbers with the bat. Dasun Shanaka and Dhananjaya de Silva are a couple of very aggressive and innovative batsmen, both of whom have had good a good series against South Africa.

Akila Dhananjaya, according to me, is the strike bowler for Sri Lanka and is particularly deadly in the middle overs. If he can be well supported through a good start by Lasith Malinga and Suranga Lakmal, the bowling lineup starts to look like a decent one. Whether Malinga is still good enough to play international cricket, only time will tell.

Dhananjaya de Silva is a decent option in the middle overs, but not someone who causes too many problems. Surely, teams would be looking to target him as soon as he comes on. In the death overs, Thisara Perera has a good variety of deliveries up his sleeve and could be well backed up by Malinga and Lakmal.

What strikes me the most about this Sri Lankan side is the massive upgrade in the quality of fielding. That’s the most obvious change in the past year or so. It’s always a bonus, particularly in the limited over formats.