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The 1996 World Cup champions Sri Lanka are on the brink of exiting the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 and in pursuit of keeping their chances faintly alive, they take on Bangladesh in match No. 38 of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 on Monday, November 6. After beginning the tournament with three defeats on the trot, including a forgettable bowling performance against Pakistan where they failed to defend a 345-run target, Sri Lanka opened their account in the ongoing edition against the Netherlands.
To add to their confidence, they went on to beat England with a comprehensive all-round performance. After bowling out the defending champions for only 156 runs, the Lankan batters chased the total in 25.4 overs to win by eight wickets. Lahiru Kumara (3/35 in seven overs) was named Player of the match.
However, that good work went in vain as they faced a defeat against Afghanistan, denting their ambitions of making it to the semi-finals. Sri Lanka could only manage 241 runs batting first and in response, Afghanistan completed the run chase in 45.2 overs.
To worsen their misery, they suffered a 302-run defeat against India in their previous match, the second biggest defeat in World Cup history. India mounted a huge 357/8 batting first and the Lankans were bowled out for 55 runs in 19.4 overs. Mohammad Shami’s five-fer and Mohammed Siraj’s 3/16 were the catalysts in Sri Lanka’s downfall.
Bangladesh, on the other hand, are already out of the tournament with six defeats in seven matches. Their only remaining aim is to finish the campaign on a high and avoid a last-position finish.
Here’s how the Lankan side might line up for this crucial fixture.
Openers: Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne
Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne will continue to open for the side. Pathum Nissanka has been consistent throughout the tournament, scoring 289 runs in seven innings so far, which includes four half-centuries.
Karunaratne, who came in for Kusal Perera in the opening slot, has failed to make his mark in the first two matches. However, his experience might keep him in the XI once again.
Middle order: Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka
Kusal Mendis is keeping up his reputation as an aggressive batter for Sri Lanka and the stand-in Lankan skipper has scored 269 runs at a strike-rate of 121.71, which includes one fifty and one century. A big knock from him could be of great assistance for the side as they need two big wins in the remaining matches to keep themselves alive.
Sadeera Samarawickrama is having a stellar tournament and is Sri Lanka’s leading run-scorer so far. He scored 331 runs in seven matches at an impressive average of 66.20, while Asalanka has notched up 172 runs in seven innings and will continue to keep his place.
All-rounders: Dhananjaya de Silva, Angelo Matthews
Dhananjaya de Silva is one of their most experienced all-rounders and if Sri Lanka are to emerge out of this predicament, they need him to perform well. He has not been up to the mark so far, scoring 87 runs and is yet to pick up any wickets with the ball.
Senior all-rounder Angelo Matthews will continue in the XI as well, largely because of the injury crisis in the team. He was one of the few batters who stuck around against India, but failed to give Sri Lanka a respectable total. So far, he has picked up two wickets and scored 35 runs in three matches.
Bowlers: Kasun Rajitha, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushmantha Chameera
Kasun Rajitha and Dilshan Madushanka shone in the match against the Netherlands, both returning with four wickets each. Madushanka now has 18 wickets in seven matches and is the leading wicket-taker in the tournament, whilst Rajitha’s confidence too will boom as he now has eight wickets in five appearances.
Maheesh Theekshana will be their x-factor bowler in Delhi, where bowlers might not have a lot of support from the track. Although he has been economical, he has picked up only three wickets so far in six matches. Dushmantha Chameera had an injury concern but might return to full fitness for this game.
Sri Lanka’s probable playing XI
Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis (c & wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Angelo Matthews, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushmantha Chameera
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