The 13th edition of the Cricket World Cup is scheduled to take place in India from October 5 to November 19. The tournament will span across 12 venues and commence with a match between defending champions England and New Zealand at Ahmedabad. The World Cup format will feature a round-robin stage consisting of 45 matches, where each team will face every other team once. Ten teams will participate, with eight already qualified and the remaining two earning their spots through the ongoing Cricket World Cup (CWC) Qualifiers 2023 in Zimbabwe. Sri Lanka World Cup Squad.
Sri Lanka’s cricket history includes three appearances in the ODI World Cup finals. They clinched their first title in 1996 under the leadership of Arjuna Ranatunga. Additionally, they were runners-up in the 2007 and 2011 ICC ODI World Cups. The team reached the semi-finals in 2003 and the quarter-finals in 2015. Furthermore, Sri Lanka has co-hosted the ODI World Cup twice, in 1996 and 2011. Sri Lanka World Cup Squad.
As of now, the Sri Lankan cricket team has not secured qualification for the CWC 2023. Nonetheless, their recent victory against Ireland has propelled them into the Super Six stage of the CWC 2023 Qualifiers. The team’s performance in recent years has been marked by challenges and a struggle to secure crucial wins. Despite this, their advancement to the Super Six offers a platform for improvement and a chance to solidify their position in the upcoming CWC 2023. Sri Lanka World Cup Squad.
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Team Sri Lanka List for ICC World Cup 2023
The Sri Lankan Cricket Board has not yet officially released the squad for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. However, there is speculation that the names of the selected players will be announced soon. Sri Lanka World Cup Squad. While awaiting the official release, the following could be the possible squad:
Batsmen: Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (WK), Charith Asalanka, Sadeera Samarawickrama (WK)
All-rounders: Dasun Shanaka (Captain), Wanindu Hasaranga, Dhananjaya De Silva, Dushan Hemantha
Bowlers: Chamika Karunaratne, Lahiru Kumara, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesa Pathirana
Probable Playing XI for Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis (WK), Charith Asalanka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dhananjaya De Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dasun Shanaka (Captain), Lahiru Kumara, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha
The schedule for Sri Lanka’s matches in the World Cup 2023 has been released by the ICC:
- October 7: Sri Lanka vs South Africa in Delhi
- October 12: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka in Hyderabad
- October 16: Australia vs Sri Lanka in Lucknow
- October 21: Sri Lanka vs Netherlands in Lucknow
- October 26: Sri Lanka vs England in Bengaluru
- October 30: Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan in Pune
- November 2: India vs Sri Lanka in Mumbai
- November 6: Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh in Delhi
- November 9: New Zealand vs Sri Lanka in Bengaluru
The Sri Lanka Cricket Selection Committee has finalized a 15-member squad for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier tournament in Zimbabwe. The team is set to depart for Zimbabwe on June 10, 2023. The selected squad, which was approved by the Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, Roshan Ranasinghe, includes the following players:
- Dasun Shanaka – Captain
- Kusal Mendis – (WK) Vice-Captain
- Dimuth Karunaratne
- Pathum Nissanka
- Charith Asalanka
- Dhananjaya de Silva
- Sadeera Samarawickrama (WK)
- Wanindu Hasaranga
- Chamika Karunaratne
- Dushmantha Chameera
- Kasun Rajitha
- Lahiru Kumara
- Maheesh Theekshana
- Matheesha Pathirana
- Dushan Hemantha
In another match of the day, Nepal managed to clinch a victory against the United Arab Emirates by three wickets in the second seventh-place play-off semi-final, thanks to lower-order striking from Dipendra Singh Airee.
Theekshana and Nissanka Steer Sri Lanka to Victory Facing a target set by Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe faced early troubles in Bulawayo as Joylord Gumbie departed for a five-ball duck, followed by Wessly Madhevere for one, leaving the Chevrons struggling at eight for two. Sri Lanka World Cup Squad.
Dilshan Madushanka claimed his third wicket by dismissing captain Craig Ervine, which brought the dangerous Sikandar Raza to join Sean Williams at the crease. Raza displayed patience, but Madushanka took an excellent low catch to remove him for 31 runs from 51 balls, ending their 68-run partnership. Sean Williams contributed 56 runs before being bowled out by Theekshana, who then partnered with Matheesha Pathirana (2/18) to wrap up the Zimbabwean innings. The final five Zimbabwean batters managed only 38 runs, losing three wickets in just six balls, and the innings concluded after 32.2 overs.
Responding to the target of 165, Sri Lanka was led by Nissanka’s exceptional performance as he struck a run-a-ball fifty and formed a century partnership with Dimuth Karunaratne. Despite surviving an early scare, Karunaratne showed caution, knowing he was dropped on nought by Brad Evans and survived a review for caught behind on 21. Inspired by the review, Nissanka’s performance accelerated, hitting Evans for three fours in the subsequent over and achieving his half-century shortly thereafter. The century partnership was reached in the 19th over, with Karunaratne making 29 runs before being dismissed by Richard Ngarava, leaving Sri Lanka at 104 for one. Nissanka continued his strong performance, supported by Kusal Mendis, who unselfishly refused runs to allow Nissanka a chance at a century. A wide ball from Wellington Masakadza brought the scores level, and Nissanka scored a four on the next ball to achieve his second ODI century and secure the win. As a result, Dasun Shanaka’s team secured a place in the World Cup scheduled for October in India.
On the other hand, Zimbabwe is still in a favourable position to secure a place in the World Cup by defeating Scotland on Tuesday, marking their return to the Cricket World Cup since 2015. Mahesh Theekshana, Sri Lankan bowler and Player of the Match (4/25): “We had a good plan but I think after the first ten overs we hadn’t executed our plans well so sometimes you had to do it for the team… I executed my plans well then and bowled better areas.”
Dasun Shanaka, Sri Lanka captain: “Credit to the other teams they played really well in the tournament… This bunch of players, they have got their own skills and they utilise the conditions over here really well… World Cup ahead is the main focus and main target for us, we are waiting to deliver there as well.”
