The first high-voltage match of the ongoing Men’s T20 World Cup will feature Sri Lanka when they face South Africa on the 3rd of June. Sri Lanka might not enter the tournament as the favorites but they are always a force to be reckoned with. This time they also put a strong squad to challenge. Here is a detailed look at the Sri Lanka squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

Sri Lanka Squad for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024

Table: List of Players in the Sri Lanka Team in the 2024 ICC World Cup Tournament

The Sri Lankan side will be led by their superstar all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga. Sri Lanka has kept their faith in the world’s best all-rounder and top wicket-taker of the last two ICC Men’s T20 World Cups to lead them to glory this time. 

Read more: Analysis of India Squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World 2024

Analysis of Sri Lanka Squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024

The Sri Lankan squad is star-studded with some of the big names of World T20 currently. It consists of a solid bunch of players who can win games single-handedly on their day. However, this team has some definitive strengths and weaknesses which are discussed here.

Strengths Of Sri Lanka Squad

Strong bowling unit 

This Sri Lankan squad carries a strong bowling unit. Their skipper Wanindu Hasaranga holds the second position in the ICC Men’s T20I Bowling Ranking currently. Strike bowler Maheesh Theekshana occupies the 4th position in the same list. 

Apart from that Nuwan Thushara and Matheesha Pathirana can rattle any batting line-up with their fiery toe-crushers. Allrounders Dhananjaya De Silva and Angelo Mathews can bowl pivotal overs. Dasun Shanaka is still their go-to death-over bowler, especially in close encounters. Scoring against this bowling line-up won’t be easy at all. Sri Lanka must capitalize on these assets they have.

Read more: Fixtures of Bangladesh Team in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024

Variety of All-rounders

The Sri Lankan squad has an abundance of genuine all-rounders who can equally contribute with both bat and ball. Angelo Mathews and Dasun Shanaka are effective medium pacers. Wanindu Hasaranga is one of the best bowlers and Dhanajaya De Silva works as a trump card as well. And all of these players play crucial roles for the team with the bat. This increased the depth and efficiency of the side which is one of their greatest strengths without a doubt.

Drawbacks Of Sri Lanka Squad 

Lack of Depth in Batting

Sri Lanka have an explosive and fiery top order with batters like Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Pathum Nissanka, and Charith Asalanka. However, one problem they consistently face is their batting in the middle overs. It happens because their lower-middle order often fails to chip in. This overreliance on the top order might hurt them in the current World Cup campaign.

Non-performing Veterans

Angelo Mathews and Dasun Shanaka have a combined 184 T20Is under their belt. This kind of experience is priceless for any team. However, Sri Lanka could not generate enough return from them because of their less contribution. Dasun Shanaka only scored 139 runs in his last 10 innings averaging only around 17. His 6 wickets still cover that up.

Read more: Stars who can be game-changers for Bangladesh in T20 World Cup

However, Angelo Mathews had a decent year with the bat averaging 29.43 while scoring 206 runs. Yet the quality of opponents indicates that these numbers could have been better. With the experience these two bring, they have much more to contribute and if they don’t, it is unfortunate for Sri Lanka. 

Key Players to Watch in Sri Lanka Squad

Wanindu Hasaranga

The current best all-rounder in the world, 2nd best bowler in the T20I format, and the 2nd highest wicket-taker ever for Sri Lanka to date. The remarks are enough to explain the importance of this team. If Sri Lanka is to succeed in this World Cup, this skipper will have to play the most pivotal role in that.

Maheesh Theekshana

Maheesh Theekshana is one of the most in-form bowlers in the world. He is the current no.4 ranked bowler in T20I format and a key figure in the Sri Lankan bowling line-up. He has 10 wickets in the last 8 games. Sri Lanka needs someone to complement Wanindu Hasaranga and have the right man for it in Maheesh Theekshana. Now it has to be his time to shine. 

Read more: Analyzing Bangladesh Squad for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024

Angelo Mathews

He is the most experienced and seasoned campaigner on this team. He is in great form this year. He is also among the all-time greatest for Sri Lanka in the shortest version of the game. Apart from that, he is the only player in this squad who was there when Sri Lanka won the trophy in 2014. His team needs that experience now more than ever. 

Kusal Mendis

Kusal Mendis is the 3rd highest run-scorer ever for Sri Lanka and has a good chance of becoming 2nd. He is in great form this year being Sri Lanka’s top scorer scoring at an average of 30+ with 2 half-centuries. The tone of the innings for Sri Lanka is often set by him and he needs to do it this time as well.

Conclusion

In the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Sri Lanka is drawn in the “group of death” with Bangladesh, South Africa, Netherlands, and Nepal. They have a difficult job in hand but also have enough resources to tackle the competitors. If team Sri Lanka can mitigate their weaknesses, they might have a serious go for the title.

Read more: ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024: Groups, Match Fixtures, and Venues