Wounded Sri Lanka look for bounce back win in second ODI

A deflating 198-run defeat to hosts New Zealand on Saturday has left Sri Lanka at the mercy of other teams to automatically qualify for the Cricket World Cup 2023, but even that would not be of any help unless they record a comeback win in Christchurch today. 

Sri Lanka started this three-match series with their qualification fate well-within their hands – a 3-0 series whitewash would see them jump South Africa and West Indies into eighth place in the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League – but now will need to win the remaining two matches and hope that South Africa lose atleast one of their two ODIs against the Netherlands. 
Particularly concerning for Sri Lanka would be the batting, which has now succumbed to scores of 73 against India earlier this year and 76 in the first ODI against New Zealand, even with a change in personnel, as Pathum Nissanka returned, and the experience of Angelo Mathews was drafted into the team. 

Sri Lanka’s batsman struggled to cope with the added bounce generated by the lanky Henry Shipley who took career-best figures of 5 for 31 but were also guilty of gifting their wickets. 
It could compel Sri Lanka into making a change in the batting line-up, with Dhananjaya de Silva tipped for inclusion, but more prudent would be a rejig of the team’s composition, bringing in a specialist batsman in place of one of the three all-rounders in the team. 

It’s a change that would be unlikely however, with captain Dasun Shanaka and Wanindu Hasaranga occupying two of those slots and virtually picking themselves, and the third all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne putting in the best bowling performance for Sri Lanka in the opening ODI. 

Karunaratne led a relatively good bowling display from the Sri Lankans, who did particularly well in the last ten overs to peg back the Kiwis, but couldn’t quite get the best out of Dilshan Madushanka and Hasaranga, both going for more than six runs an over. 

After today’s second ODI, the teams will travel to Hamilton for the final match of the series.