"CWC Qualifiers 2023: Sri Lanka's Overreliance on Openers and Bowlers - A Cause for Concern"
Sri Lanka Cricket finished victorious in the recent ICC Cricket World Cup (CWC) qualifiers tournament, held in Zimbabwe, maintaining an unbeaten streak to secure the title and also the qualification for the upcoming ICC CWC 2023, scheduled to be held in India. But the question is, has Sri Lankans demonstrated the full capability to face the upcoming challenge? Here is an analysis of Sri Lanka Cricket's performance in the CWC qualifiers, aiming to identify areas of improvement in preparation for the upcoming challenge.
Team Batting Performance
Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne delivered outstanding performances with remarkable scores, while other top-order batters displayed an average performance. Among them, Kusal Mendis stood out by scoring 218 runs with an average of 38, becoming the only batsman apart from the two openers to surpass the 200-run mark in the team. The occurrence of low target chases in three instances may have contributed to this outcome. However, Sri Lanka's batting performances in the first innings were damaged by multiple collapses in several times. Despite Pathum and Dimuth's impressive scores, their strike rates fall below the tournament average strike rate. However,?only Charith Asalanka, a middle-order batsman, and Wanindu Hasaranga, a finisher, have better strike rates than the overall tournament average.
Middle Order Meltdown
Against Scotland, Sri Lanka faced a collapse, losing their last 6 wickets for 42 runs. Similarly, against the Netherlands, they were at 96 for 6. In the final against the same opposition, Sri Lanka had a promising position at 180 for 3 in the 36th over but suffered another collapse, eventually being bowled out for 233 in the 48th over. Dhananjaya de Silva, known as the rescue player, scored 167 runs in the tournament, maintaining an average of 41.75. His crucial innings of 93 against the Netherlands played in saving Sri Lanka, as the rest of the team managed to score only 102 runs collectively.
Despite Wanindu Hasaranga maintaining the best strike rate in the team, he often falls victim to throwing away his wicket. As a lower middle order batsman, Dasun Shanaka only scores 12 runs for the entire tournament. It's quite surprising to see that a tail-ender like Maheesh Theekshana has made more valuable contributions compared to Dasun Shanaka. Theekshana impressively scored 57 crucial runs in the tournament, while Shanaka struggled with just 12 runs, averaging below 5.
Since Charith Asalanka playing a good role now, Sri Lanka's middle order will be in good shape for the upcoming CWC if Shanaka and Wanindu can overcome their batting issues.
Dependency on Openers
Out of all the runs scored by Sri Lankan batters throughout the tournament, a notable 44.88 per cent came from the bats of Dimuth and Pathum. While it can be argued that Sri Lanka successfully chased down targets on three occasions with the opening batters performing especially, it is significant that the team has struggled to achieve success when the openers get out early.
Out of the five times Sri Lanka batted first in the tournament, they only managed to score higher than the tournament average first innings score on two occasions. In both innings, Openers’ contributions accounted for more than 30 per cent of the total runs. Even in the innings where the team scored below tournament average, there was one instance where Pathum and Dimuth's combined contribution exceeded 30 percent, but the team still ended up with 245 runs on the scoreboard. This highlights the heavy reliance on Dimuth and Pathum for scoring runs within the team.
To be well-prepared for the upcoming Cricket World Cup (CWC), Sri Lanka needs to focus on strengthening the middle order where Shanaka needs to standup himself, and especially by getting the top order batsman Kusal Mendis back in form. This will help the team overcome the challenge of early wickets if the openers fall quickly.
Spinners' Brilliance and Madushanka's Cash in
Sri Lanka has displayed a brilliant bowling performance throughout the tournament, being the only team to dismiss all their opponents in every match. Apart from the West Indies, no team managed to score more than 200 runs. Seamers have been successful in taking early wickets, while the combination of Wanindu and Theekshana have been particularly strong in controlling the middle overs. Wanindu finished as the top wicket-taker in the tournament with 22 wickets, followed by Theekshana, who has taken 21 wickets to finish in second place.
Dilshan Madushanka, the left-arm seamer who came in as a replacement for the injured Dushmantha Chameera in the squad, successfully cashed in, on the opportunity given in last four games of the CWC. He showcased his talent by taking 8 wickets while maintaining a good economy rate of 4.00, while Lahiru Kumara and Kasun Rajith shows an average performance. With Dasun Shanaka making a comeback as a part-time medium pacer, he has done a good job by taking 5 wickets. Shanka has been effective in filling in the overs between the middle, providing a bowling option for the team.
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Dependency on Theekshana and Wanindu
It's great to see Wanindu, a frontline T20I bowler, has making a comeback in the ODI format and making valuable contributions to the team to win games. Theekshana has proven his talent in the ODI format, establishing himself as a frontline bowler for both ODI and T20 teams.
Throughout the tournament the team's bowling performance has been depending on the spinning duo, taking 59 per cent of total wickets. Whenever Wanindu didn't take wickets mainly Theekshana came to the rescue, highlighting their crucial combination.
Similar to the team's dependence on the two openers, the bowling unit relies heavily on Wanindu and Theekshana. Rest of the bowlers managed to take 30 wickets to all out all opponents they've faced. It's good to have a rotational strategy centered around two main spinners, supporting them to take wickets by being economical. However, as a bowling unit it's very important to have a backup plan in case Wanindu and Theekshana both don't perform well.
Ribbon of Consistency
Maheesh Theekshana has been the most consistent wicket-taker in the team. While Wanindu had an exceptional start in the first three matches, he couldn't maintain that form throughout the tournament. But Theekshana consistently took wickets in almost every game. In a thrilling victory against the Netherlands, he played a crucial role by taking three wickets.
If both spinners can be more consistent together, Sri Lankan bowling unit can be very serious against opponent in sub continental grounds.
Extras Given and Boundary Counts
Overall, Sri Lankan bowlers has given away 50 extras (Wides and No balls only), and it's quite average when considering the tournament extras.
Matheesha Pathirana, the young lad with a slinging action, showed exceptional performance in the Indian Premier League 2023. With high hopes, he entered the CWC qualifiers, but it appears that he has not addressed his issue of giving away extras. He has given away 15 Wides and it's only in three games. Dilshan Madushanka also needs to work on reducing the number of Wides and No balls he concedes during matches. Wanindu has been absolutely exceptional, having bowled over 300 deliveries and conceding only one wide. Brilliant right?
While Wanindu has been brilliant in taking wickets and not giving extras, he has given away the most boundaries, conceding 9 sixes and 24 fours. As Wanindu often bowls googlies, he can be susceptible to the slog sweep over mid-wicket, leading to many sixes being hit in that direction. But It's reasonable that bowlers may occasionally leak runs, considering they are often required to bowl a significant number of overs. We should aim to limit the number of boundaries given away in order to reduce the leakage of runs.
Sri Lanka's bowling performance has been exceptional, whether they have relied on their spinners or not. If Dilshan Madushanka can consistently perform as he has been and Matheesha Pathirana can work on reducing his extras while developing as a reliable death bowler (particularly considering the lack of assessment in that area throughout the tournament), the bowling unit has the potential to become a challenging force.
To become strong contenders for the CWC 2023, the Sri Lankan team needs to work on areas of improvement. With determination and hard work, they have the potential to make significant progress. Let us remain optimistic and hope for the best. Could Sri Lanka potentially become two-time ODI Champions of the world?
Sources: Getty Images, ESPN Cricinfo | Data Visualization Tool: Power BI