Sri Lanka were Cricket World Cup finalists in 2007 and 2011, but performances have dipped of late, unaided by a mind-boggling selection policy. We take a look at their chances in England over the coming weeks.
First published in issue 20 of Wisden Cricket Monthly. Subscribe here
ODI ranking: 9
World Cup wins: 1
Final appearances: 3
World Cup record
Tournament appearances: 11
Matches: 73
Won: 35
Lost: 35
NR: 2
Tied: 1
Ways they can win it
It’s a stretch. Sri Lanka have won just two of their last 16 completed ODIs and their World Cup record in England doesn’t offer much encouragement either – four wins in 16 matches and group-stage elimination on all four occasions. Under Dimuth Karunaratne’s captaincy they pulled off a Test series win in South Africa that no one saw coming. With Karunaratne now installed as ODI skipper, he will need to work another miracle if his team are to get near the trophy.
Sri Lanka squad
Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Avishka Fernando, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews, Jeevan Mendis, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Pradeep, Dhananjaya de Silva, Milinda Siriwardana, Lahiru Thirimanne, Isuru Udana, Jeffrey Vandersay.
Betfair Exchange odds: 140.0
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