2014 Asia Cup Teams Preview: Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, the team that is following the footsteps of South Africa by choking in big tournaments go into the Asia Cup as the favourites. They are currently thrashing Bangladesh in their own backyard. With the Asia Cup scheduled to take place in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka will look to continue their good run in the Asia Cup as well. In the last edition, they finished as the wooden spoon holders by finishing last among the four teams. They will look to begin the preparations for the 2015 ICC World Cup in the Asia Cup. This time around, they will look to equal India’s record of 5 Asia Cup triumphs by winning the tournament. Let’s have a look at Sri Lanka’s chances in the tournament.

Squad:

Captain: Angelo Mathews

Coach: Graham Ford

Batsmen:

•          Tillakratne Dilshan
•          Kusal Perera
•          Dinesh Chandimal
•          Mahela Jayawardene
•          Lahiru Thirimanne
•          Ashan Priyanjan
•          Chaturanga De Silva

Bowlers:

•          Suranga Lakmal
•          Lasith Malinga
•          Ajantha Mendis
•          Sachitra Senenayake
•          Nuwan Kulasekara

All-Rounders:

•          Angelo Matthews
•          Thisara Perera

Wicket Keepers:

•          Kumar Sangakkara

Strengths:

•          Sri Lanka is a well-balanced side.
•          Presence of two world class All-Rounders in Matthews and Perera.
•          They are a decent fielding unit.
•          They go into the tournament with a series win in Bangladesh.

Weakness:

•          They have the knack of choking in big tournaments.
•          Their bowling can be vulnerable against team like India.

Players to watch out for:

Kusal Perera:

Sri Lankan opener Kusal Perera is a vital member of the side and he is responsible for getting the Sri Lankan innings off to a flier. Kusal Perera, also called as xerox copy of Sanath Jayasuriya for the similarity in the style of their batting can score some quick runs in the initial overs. He is very strong through the offside and is equally destructive in the leg side. He along with Dilshan formed a lethal partnership at the top of the order and they set the platform for a big total.

Kumar Sangakkara:

Kumar Sangakkara, the ODI player of the year is having a tormenting form with the bat. Sangakkara has been in top form for the past one year and had a sensational series against Bangladesh in Bangladesh. He is the one who repairs the innings in case of some early breakthroughs and he is also responsible for controlling the run flow in the middle overs and setting the platform for the likes of Angelo Matthews and Thisara Perera to go after the bowling in the slog overs. 

X-Factor:

Thisara Perera:

Thisara Perera is the most important player in Sri Lankan team for the past few years. He is the one who is responsible for scoring some quick runs and with the ball, he is economical and can pick up wickets when needed. Apart from these, he is also given the role of controlling the run flow in the slog overs. He is the deciding factor Sri Lanka in the 2014 Asia Cup and the team’s fortunes in the tournament lies on Perera’s performances.

Possible Playing XI:TM Dilshan, Kusal Perera, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Ashan Priyanjan, Lahiru Thirimanne, Angelo Matthews, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Ajantha Mendis.

Schedule:

Date	Against	Venue
25-2-2014	Pakistan	Fatullah
28-3-2014	India	Fatullah
3-3-2014	Afghanistan	Mirpur
6-3-2014	Bangladesh	Mirpur
8-3-2014	Finals	Mirpur