Battle-scarred Sri Lanka look to bounce back

Last updated: 10.10.2023 (10.35 a.m)

Sri Lanka has problems aplenty. Among these are the unpredictability of their batters and depletion of their bowling unit, challenges they desperately have to overcome to get the better of Pakistan in their second ICC Men’s World Cup match to be played this afternoon at the Rajiv Gandhi Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad.

The bowling, at least, has received a boost with Maheesh Theekshana getting the all-clear to make his maiden World Cup appearance but who will sit it out is a puzzle the team is yet to solve. His absence was deeply felt in the first match where South African batters hammered the weakened Sri Lankan attack across the park to score a World Cup record of 428 runs.

“We have a couple of bowlers which we have identified who are going to go for wickets. We have to do that because the name of this game is wickets,” said Naveed Nawaz, Sri Lanka’s assistant coach at the pre-match press conference yesterday.

“Because when you are playing on a small outfield and when you are playing on a good batting surface, if you don't take wickets, you're going to end up with 400 runs. That's a no-brainer."

“Somebody will have to come up and know how to take wickets up front and take wickets in the middle, as well. I think we have a plan under our belt for that. I think our bowling attack is going to be a little bit stronger with Theekshana’s return. So, we'll have a plan upfront to take wickets and that's the only way, I think, of containment. If you don't take wickets, it's going to be very difficult to contain,” he explained.

Sri Lanka concluded their only training session in Hyderabad last morning at the nearby Gymkhana Cricket Stadium as the venue for today’s fixture is being used for the New Zealand vs Netherlands fixture.

This deprived the team of getting acquainted with the conditions on offer at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium and of finalising the playing XI for today’s fixture.

Theekshana in place of Wellage

The options being considered are to bring in Theekshana in place of Dunith Wellalage, should Sri Lanka decide to go with three seamers, as in Delhi, in slightly seamer-friendly conditions; or to bring him in place of one of the two seamers, Kusun Rajitha or Matheesha Pathirana. Rajitha conceded 90 runs off his 10 overs while Pathirana was the most expensive among Sri Lankan bowlers, leaking as many as 95. Wellalage was hit for 81 runs.

Unlike in Delhi, the boundaries are bigger but the tracks remain batting-friendly.

“The boundaries are slightly longer than Delhi. I think it will be at least about 65 metres all around the ground,” he said. “The wickets have been good in Hyderabad. They have produced runs. There is a bit of bounce and it's good for batting, I guess. So, I think it's going to be a good game and two good teams playing each other. It's a challenge for our boys, as well. Against South Africa, we had quite a good game with a lot of runs in Delhi, so we are having a bit of confidence on our backs, so I guess it's going to be a good one."

Dasun Shanaka’s men had a demoralising experience in the opener when South African batters scored a record-breaking total.

Although they ended up with a thumping defeat, the manner in which they approached the chase impressed many. Sri Lanka scored 326 runs and at times even threatened to pull off a miracle.

“When you're chasing a total of 420, I guess there's no confusion there that we needed to go hard at it. We just wanted two or three guys to go big. That's the only thing we were looking at, the guys who got runs, especially Kusal (Mendis), Charith (Asalanka), maybe Dasun (Shanaka), had they gone for a little bit longer, maybe another extra 30, 40 runs by each one of them, it could have got us close,” he added.

The two nations, the 1992 champions (Sri Lanka) and the 1996 champions (Pakistan, have crossed each other's paths seven times so far in World Cups, with Pakistan having a 100-win ratio. But when they met at the Asia Cup, which were the last two meetings of the South Asian neighbours, Sri Lanka prevailed in a thrilling encounter.

Babar Azam’s men opened their 2023 World Cup campaign with an 81-run victory over The Netherlands at the same venue last week and will look to carry on the momentum in the second game while Sri Lanka will want to leave behind the memories of their opener to get a win under their belt.

“Pakistan is quite a strong opposition. The only advantage that we have is that we have been playing Pakistan recently in the Asia Cup as well, so both teams know quite well about each team's strengths, weaknesses, whatever it may be. I think it's going to be a good tussle,” the coach said of their opponents.

Teams: Dasun Shanaka (Captain), Kusal Janith Perera, Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Sadeera Samarawickrema, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Metheesha Pathirana, Kasun Rajitha/Dunith Wellalage

Sri Lanka (Probable):

Pakistan (From): Babar Azam (Captain), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim.