Information about Sri Lanka’s Cricket World Cup campaign in 2023, with details about their team, ODI rankings, and their chances in the tournament.
Sri Lanka World Cup Team
Despite past glory, Sri Lanka find themselves sitting outside of the favourites for the 2023 Cricket World Cup. You have to go back to 1996 to when they won the tournament and 2007 and 2011 for when they went deep into the tournament. They will be hoping to find some of that past form and energy to progress in this Cricket World Cup.
Sri Lanka World Cup Team Information
ODI Ranking: 7
Rating: 92
Highest previous CWC finish: Winner (1996)
Captain: Dasun Shanaka (All-rounder)
Vice Captain: Kusal Mendis (Batter)
Squad: Pathum Nissanka (Batter), Dushan Hemantha, Dimuth Karunaratne (Batter), Kusal Perera (Wicket-keeper & Batter), Kasun Rajitha (Bowler), Dasun Shanaka (All-rounder), Dhananjaya de Silva (All-rounder), Kusal Mendis (Batter), Lahiru Kumara (Bowler), Sadeera Samarawickrama (Wicket-keeper & Batter), Charith Asalanka (Batter), Dilshan Madushanka (Bowler), Maheesh Theekshana (Bowler), Matheesha Pathirana, Dunith Wellalage
Sri Lanka World Cup Schedule
Sri Lanka face South Africa in their first match on the 7th of October, followed by Pakistan on the 10th, and Australia on the 16th. This could set the tone for their Cricket World Cup and they will be hoping to get through these tough games with some victories. A big clash with India awaits Sri Lanka on the 2nd of November.
South Africa v Sri Lanka
14:00, Sat 07 October
Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Pakistan v Sri Lanka
14:00 Tue 10 October
Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
Australia v Sri Lanka
14:00, Mon 16 October
BRSABVE Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
Netherlands v Sri Lanka
10:30, Sat 21 October
BRSABVE Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
England v Sri Lanka
14:00, Thu 26 October
M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Afghanistan v Sri Lanka
14:00, Mon 30 October
MCA International Stadium, Pune
India v Sri Lanka
14:00, Thu 02 November
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Bangladesh v Sri Lanka
14:00, Mon 06 November
Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
New Zealand v Sri Lanka
14:00, Thu 09 November
M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Sri Lanka will need to pull off some incredible results to get through to the latter stages of the tournament. They have previous history of doing well, which they will be hoping will inspire them through this World Cup.
The ODI History of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka have a proud history when it comes to One Day International cricket. Indeed, they have often been strongest when it comes to this format of the game, with The Lions having been ranked the number one ODI team in 1996 and they played their first ever match when clashing with the West Indies in 1975.
Success after a slow start
Sri Lanka struggled to make an impression during the early incarnations of the Cricket World Cup, with the first five tournaments seeing them fall short at the group stage. However, the 1996 tournament really saw the Sri Lankans break through and announce themselves on the big stage.
The nation hosted the tournament in this year with India and Pakistan, with some inspired performances from Sanath Jayasuriya helping the team to win the competition and also for this player to be named the best performer of the series.
Sri Lanka were inspired even during the group stage when finishing top of the standings where they won all five games. They beat Australia and India as part of proceedings, with the Lions then navigating their way past England in Faisalabad to set up a crunch semi-final against India in Calcutta.
Despite being betting outsiders to win on that occasion, Sri Lanka scored 250 runs in their innings and they were awarded the match when an ailing India side struggled to match their total before a rioting crowd brought a premature end to proceedings.
The Sri Lankans then clashed with Australia in the final, with the latter posting an attainable 241/7 which was toppled by the former in Lahore, with a brilliant 107 from Aravinda de Silva ensuring that the co-hosts were victorious.
Sri Lanka were back in the final in 2007, with Australia landing a victory in the West Indies in a match that was decided on the Duckworth-Lewis method, while there was another final appearance four years later when they set up for a showdown at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. However, it was the Indians who were able to win on this occasion.
Who Holds the ODI Records for Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka have had some excellent players representing this nation, with Kumar Sangakkara having been the most outstanding batsman and he has a number of One Day International records on the board. The left-hander managed to score more than 14,000 runs for his country when it came to this format.
Similarly, Kumar Sangakkara also has the best batting average and 41.97 is not a shabby total, with Thisara Perera is the man who can boast the best strike rate of 112. Sanath Jayasuriya is another player who has stood out with the bat and that was sharply evident when playing against India at Sharjah Cricket Stadium in 2000.
He racked up 189 runs in that game, while the player also boasts being part of the most successful partnership, with this batsman combining beautifully with Upul Tharanga when clashing with England at Headingley Stadium.
