Cricket World Cup: Sri Lanka team profile & player to watch

For the best part of two decades Sri Lanka were guaranteed to give punters a good run for their money in major international tournaments.

Surprise World Cup winners in 1996, the Lions reached the semi-finals in 2003 before finishing as runners-up in 2007 and 2011. They were also crowned World T20 champions in 2014 after 20-over final appearances in 2009 and 2012.

Between the 2007 World Cup and 2016 World T20, Sri Lanka went off towards the top of the outright market. They are 200-1 this time around.

Those odds provide a snapshot of just how far the Lankans have fallen in recent times with just Afghanistan and Bangladesh shorter than them in the market to finish bottom of the ten teams in the league stage.

And it’s not hard to see why either given their results over the last 18 months. Since winning a low-grade Tri-Series against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in January, Sri Lanka have won just four of their 21 ODI outings – three of which came when the opposition (England and South Africa) had already wrapped up the series and fielded weakened sides and the other against Scotland.

Their on-field struggles reflect the off-field issues. The governing body is in disarray with in-fighting at every level from the dressing room to senior officials, leaving the game in Sri Lanka in a state of crisis and fans turning their back on the national team.

Coaches have come and gone, star man Angelo Mathews has been removed as limited-overs captain and his successor Dinesh Chandimal has been left at home for the World Cup along with opener Upul Tharanga.

Test skipper Dimuth Karunaratne will lead the team in the tournament despite not having played 50-over cricket since the last World Cup – something that also applies to all-rounder Jeevan Mendis. Squad members Milinda Siriwardana and Jeffrey Vandersay haven’t played in this format for nearly two years.

Sri Lanka need the experienced Mathews to fire if they are to make any sort of impact on the tournament, along with maverick quick bowler Lasith Malinga, who has enjoyed himself on English wickets in the past and is making one last hurrah on the world stage.

However, even they may not be good enough to save Sri Lanka from sinking to a new low.

Player to watch
Angelo Mathews
Replaced as captain after the Asia Cup last September, Mathews nevertheless remains the Lankans’ standout individual. A powerful batsman, who averages over 40, his medium-pace bowling is another useful asset.

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