After the indignity of being dragged through the qualifying rounds of several ICC events over the past five years, Sri Lanka have finally begun punching closer to their weight. Automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup is a welcome step forward, but now comes the harder part, making it count.
Sri Lanka have been pooled in Group ‘B’ alongside hosts South Africa, New Zealand, England, Bangladesh and one qualifier. Along with England, Sri Lanka are the only other side in the group to have lifted the World Cup.
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The immediate objective has to be a top three finish and progression to the Super Seven stage. Even fourth place could be enough, provided Sri Lanka keep their Net Run Rate healthy and finish with a better figure than the fourth placed team in Group ‘A’.
In simple terms, Sri Lanka should be targeting at least three wins. That makes the next 12 months crucial. Everyone involved with the national side, selectors, coaches, administrators and players, must work towards assembling a team capable of standing up to the hard, bouncy surfaces of South Africa.
The sting in the tail is Sri Lanka’s schedule. Their last two games will be played in Johannesburg, scene of the 2003 World Cup final and a venue where Sri Lanka’s record makes grim reading. They have played nine ODIs there and won just two.
Those two games come against South Africa and New Zealand, arguably the toughest opponents in the group. Taking on such heavyweights at a venue that has traditionally been a graveyard for Sri Lankan hopes is hardly ideal. All the more reason, then, to hit the ground running.
The opening three games could make or break the campaign. Bangladesh and the qualifier are teams Sri Lanka simply have to beat if they harbour serious ambitions of going deep into the tournament.
The England game will be staged in Namibia and that is an opponent Sri Lanka have had the wood over in ODI cricket in recent years, although precious little went according to script during the recent bilateral series.
If Sri Lanka can arrive in Johannesburg with three wins under their belt, the pressure surrounding those final two fixtures will ease considerably. Leave qualification hanging in the balance until Johannesburg and they could be playing with fire.
Getting the personnel right is equally important. At the last couple of World Cups, selection and planning left plenty to be desired. The 2019 campaign was particularly baffling, with half a dozen players parachuted into the squad despite hardly figuring in ODI cricket in the lead up to the tournament.
Sri Lanka cannot afford a repeat. The squad must be built with South African conditions firmly in mind. There is little point loading up on spinners during bilateral series over the coming months and then discovering at the World Cup that the conditions demand something entirely different. Pace, bounce and the ability to take wickets with the new ball have to become central to Sri Lanka’s planning.
The balance of the side also deserves careful thought. On South African surfaces, a seam bowling all-rounder could offer considerably more value than another spin-bowling option. The sooner Milan Rathnayake is brought back into the ODI equation and given a proper run, the better Sri Lanka will be placed to assess their options.
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For all the gloom surrounding Sri Lankan cricket in recent times, ODI cricket has provided a few shafts of light. It is one format in which the side has performed reasonably well over the past 24 months, with series wins against Australia and India offering evidence that there is something to build on.
The World Cup is still a year away. That is plenty of time to put the pieces together but not enough time to waste. Sri Lanka have spent too many ICC tournaments arriving at the starting line still searching for their best combination. This time, the homework needs to be done early. Build a side for South Africa, give the right players a sustained run and arrive at the World Cup knowing exactly what the best XI is.
