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Carryingon their winning run from the Asia Cup, the Islanders finally gotthe monkey off their back by winning the ICC World T20 crown; they defeatedIndia in the finals earlier this year inBangladesh, much to the delight of veterans Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, who had announced earlier that they would be retiring from the shortest format after the tournament.They have now won in England,getting the better of themin all the three formats. Their fans will be praying for their dream run to continue against the South Africans and last at least till the World Cup 2015.With a decent pace attack and plenty of experience inthe middle order, this Sri Lanka team is one of the front-runners for landing the trophy next year.
#1 Tillakaratne Dilshan
The attacking right-hander has the responsibility of living up to the tag of being the third-most experienced member of the side after Jayawardene and Sangakkara.
His array of shots through the off-side look easy on the eye when they come off, but, on non-supportive conditions like the one he will be encountering in Australia next year, they more often than not end up in the hands of the slips or cover point. The opener will have to be choosy with the shots Down Under if he is hoping to carry his team forward by producing good starts.
It should not be forgotten that he was the leading run-scorer at the 2011 World Cup with 500 runs in 9 matches.
#2 Upul Tharanga
With the rise of Kusal Perera and Lahiru Thirimanne, Upul Tharanga doesn’t look to be in the scheme of things as of now, but the Lankan side might go for him sometime down the line, as Perera isn’t tight enough to survive challenging conditions and Thirimanne might get back to the middle order.
The 29-year-old left-hander, I believe, should be the first choice to pair Dilshan, and his experience will come in handy.
#3 Kumar Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara, undoubtedly, is the best bet for the Lankan side at the crucial No. 3 spot.
The wicket-keeper batsman, who is in prime form now, was next only to Dilshan and Sachin Tendulkar as the highest run-getter at the 2011 event that India won. The 36-year-old’s concentration and innings-building skills will be the key for his side's chances, and he will look to sign off on a high in what might be his last world event.
#4 Mahela Jayawardene
The other half of the Sri Lankan twin-pillars of strength and the man who played one of the finest innings you'll ever see in a World Cup final, against India in 2011, Mahela Jayawardene will be very much motivated to add the 50-over World Cup title to his list of achievements before drawing curtains on his international career.
#5 Angelo Mathews
Since given the responsibility of captaincy, Angelo Mathews has upped his game as confirmed by the stats: as a captain, his batting average is 41 compared to his overall average of 36 from 127 ODIs, and, out of his 77 wickets, 23 came in 38 matches that he captained the team.
He may not be technically the best, but a finisher doesn’t need that. As long as a No. 5/6 batsman has a good pull shot up his sleeves, it shouldn’t be an issue in any conditions; Indian captain MS Dhoni is a case in point.
#6 Dinesh Chandimal
He has all the basic qualities to succeed at this level but still hasn't managed a permanent place in the side. It would be interesting to see how he overcomes the axing of him as the national T20 captain, which happened during the World Cup that they won after he failed miserably with the bat. If he doesn’t up his game, Lanka would have Thirimanne demoted and Tharanga at the top.
#7 Thisara Perera
Thisara Perera has been sidelined a bit after the emergence of Ashan Priyanjan, but his side will be needing a batsman who can bowl medium pace and not off-spin on the seamer-friendly tracks.
He has the power to clear the ropes, and his late strikes will help when the team needs some quick runs.
#8 Nuwan Kulasekara
The underrated Nuwan Kulasekara’s out-swingers are a major threat to any batsman in the world, and, with his ability to bring the ball back and decent death bowling skills, he is a force to reckon with in those conditions. Not to mention, he is quite capable with the bat for a No. 8.
#9 Sachithra Senanayake
Despite facing tough competition from Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath, the off-spinner has been able to convince the team management for the first choice spinner role and has been fairly successful so far with a career economy rate of 4.53.
If the 29-year-old can stay within the 15 degree mark w.r.t his bowling action and not get banned for chucking once the results come out, he will get the nod ahead of Herath.
#10 Lasith Malinga
Not much need to said here. Lasith Malinga is probably the best death bowler in the world now. After what appeared to be a dull period last year, he has reinvented himself and looks good to do a world cup double in a span of two years.
#11 Suranga Lakmal
Suranga Lakmal, who has given better results in the chances he has got with the national team in comparison to Shaminda Eranga and Dhammika Prasad, slots in for the last spot: 38 wickets in 27 matches at an average of 30.10.
Given the fact that he is erratic, he can be quite expensive; but, when you have the likes of Malinga and Kulasekara, you can afford to take the chance.
