Sri Lanka At ICC World Cup 2023, Team Review: A Disastrous Display That Delivered A Damning Decree

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ICC World Cup 2023, Sri Lanka Team Review: A glimpse into the chaotic nine-game campaign that the Lankans had to endure and one they would want to forget.

Oftentimes a side’s disappointing showing at a tournament evokes a rise out of the dedicated fans back home. But rarely does it evoke a rise out of a government itself to intervene and propose solutions for a seeming sporting crisis. And even more rarely does the ICC have to ban a team from every international tournament as a result of all the chaos that unfolds.

Well, look no further because that is the tale of Sri Lanka’s performance in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

Follow all the action from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 including the World Cup schedule, World Cup 2023 results, and ICC Cricket World Cup points table. Players are vying to top the World Cup 2023 Most Runs and World Cup 2023 Most Wickets charts.

Sri Lanka’s Record At The ICC World Cup 2023:

Played: 9; Won: 2; Lost: 7; Final Standing: 9th

High Point of the Tournament

In a tournament where they could salvage merely two wins, their only true high point came when they defeated a dismal England who were still, at the end of the day, defending champions.

The match-up was nominally eighth versus ninth in the tournament standings, but by the time Pathum Nissanka had slammed Sri Lanka’s winning six over with a massive 148 balls remaining, you were left to wonder whether this England team, in this miserable mood, could even make it out of the qualification stage into the Champions Trophy.

England’s batting order crumbled against the likes of an aged Angelo Mathews and a swashbuckling Lahiru Kumara, who bowled out the English for nothing more than 156 runs. The Lankans then followed it up with a solid show of batting from the likes of Nissanka and Samarawickrama to put the game to sleep and take home their second and final win of the tournament.

Low Point of the Tournament

Sri Lanka’s loss to India was the most embarrassing outing for the Lankans in not just this World Cup, but in their entire World Cup history. To give up a whopping 357 runs, and to put an abysmal 55 runs altogether on the board is inexcusable.

Their historic 302-run loss to the hosts was a turning point in not just their campaign but the climate of Sri Lankan cricket as a whole, as it enraged fans, supporters and even the government back home.

Captaincy Verdict

It is tough to gauge Kusal Mendis on his captaincy, for it just seemed like he was merely put in charge of a side that was confusing and confused all on its own. Albeit Mendis attempted to make his mark with the bat and was successful to a certain extent, an issue that did plague Sri Lanka was their seemingly hasty DRS calls. But then again, in all honesty, to lead a squad that had no identity of its own in any shape, way or form was a tough ask, and the results spoke for themselves.

Most Valuable Player

Dilshan Madushanka was undoubtedly the only bright spot for Sri Lanka in an otherwise dismal World Cup showing. The 23-year-old came into his out of nowhere, and in a tournament where swinging pacers such as the likes of Starc and Afridi themselves have found it difficult to rise to the occasion, Madushanka ripped through the ranks of the opposition with ease, as he scalped 21 wickets in 9 matches.

Madushanka also claimed his maiden five-for and became the fourth Sri Lankan after Ashantha de Mel, Chaminda Vaas, and Lasith Malinga to record a fifer in the tournament.

So, in an otherwise inconsistent campaign for Sri Lanka in this edition of the World Cup, Dilshan Madushanka was a stand-out performer.

Major Disappointment

To point the finger at one player per se would be unfair, for it was the team in its entirety that let themselves down. Except for the likes of very few such as Madushanka and perhaps Nissanka, the team did not have a stronghold in any department.

Despite starting off the tournament with two major totals, the batting for Sri Lanka otherwise has been subpar at their best. And nobody else, except for the likes of Madushanka ever really was an efficient and striking bowler for the Lankans.

But perhaps if we were to state names, one could throw in Matheesha Pathirana into the mix. The slinging pacer, who was coming off a strong showing in the IPL 2023, was expected to make an impact for the Lankans, but alas.

Pathirana played a mere two matches in the campaign before he picked up a shoulder injury and was ruled out for the rest of the tournament. In the two matches he played as well, Pathirana was anything but effective, as he registered dismal figures of 1/90 in 9 overs and 1/95 in 10 overs against Pakistan and South Africa respectively.

Tournament verdict

Nobody expected miracles from Sri Lanka. But, nobody expected Sri Lanka to struggle as they did to put forth the bare minimum.

As mentioned before, very rarely does a side’s disappointing showing evoke such a charged reaction from an actual government in power. Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Sport dismissed Sri Lanka Cricket’s board and replaced it with an interim committee following the country’s poor performance at this year’s World Cup but the sacking was stayed by Sri Lanka’s Court of Appeal.

This in turn evoked a response from the ICC themselves, who suspended SLC’s membership with immediate effect for government interference.