Pitiful Sri Lanka end dismal World Cup campaign on losing note

Sri Lanka’s players stand for their national anthem before the start of the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup one-day international (ODI) match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru yesterday – AFP

• Virtually out of 2025 Champions Trophy
• New Zealand effectively through to semis.

BENGALURU: Sri Lanka were virtually out of the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan when they lost their final World Cup league match to New Zealand by five wickets at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here in Bengaluru Thursday.     

The defeat was the fourth in-a-row for Sri Lanka after their victory over England, losing to Afghanistan, India and Bangladesh before yesterday. It also sunk their hopes of a spot in the Champions Trophy. For Sri Lanka to have any chance, they will be hoping that Pakistan inflicts a heavy defeat on England to push them beneath. Otherwise, they will remain anchored to ninth place on the table.

New Zealand on the other hand is back on track after four consecutive defeats to go through to the semi-finals. Pakistan will need to come up with something incredible against England to have any chance of reaching the last four, while Afghanistan is virtually out of the competition.   

It was another pitiful batting display by Sri Lanka on a pitch that had a little bounce as they simply surrendered their wickets without the semblance of a fight to be bowled out for 171.

It could have been worse if not for a record tenth wicket stand of 43 off 87 balls between Maheesh Theekshana (38* off 91 balls, 3 fours) and Dilshan Madushanka (19 off 48 balls, 2 fours). Both batsmen made their career best scores in ODI cricket and gave an object lesson to the top and middle order batsmen on how to bat on the wicket. The pair batted sensibly, hitting the loose balls and rotating the strike, something that was absent in the specialist batters who were more intent at trying to hit the cover off the ball. The duo went on to erase the previous Sri Lanka record of 35 by Guy de Alwis and Rumesh Ratnayake against England at Taunton in 1983.

After New Zealand won the toss and decided to field first, Trent Boult and Tim Southee ripped the Lankan top order apart to have them 74-5 by the end of the first power play. Boult picked up his 50th wicket in World Cups with the dismissal of Kusal Mendis and in the same over sent back Sadeera Samarawickrama as well for one. Later he trapped Charith Asalanka lbw to end with three wickets and take the Player of the Match award.

Kusal Perera counter-attacked, racing to the second fastest World Cup 50 for Sri Lanka off 22 balls but fell to Lockie Ferguson. Some of his shots showed how good the pitch was for batting even if it was a fraction on the slower side. Perera played a ‘You live by the sword and you die by the sword’ type of innings. Dropped before he had scored, Perera went hell for leather at the New Zealand bowling cracking nine fours and two sixes in his 51 off 28 balls before he became a bit over judicious in his stroke play and sliced a catch to cover. Before Kusal Perera today, the only other Sri Lankan batter to score 50-plus runs in the first 10 overs of an innings in a World Cup match was Kusal Mendis, who scored 72* off 35 in the phase against South Africa in Delhi earlier this tournament. 

Angelo Mathews and Dhananjaya de Silva tried to build the innings adding 34 but both fell to Mitchell Santner who foxed them with flight, turn and bounce. Just when New Zealand thought they could close up the Lankan innings they found unexpected resistance from the lower order with 58 runs added for the last two wickets.

Sri Lanka’s total was never going to be a challenging chase for New Zealand especially on a good batting deck. Devon Conway (45) and Rachin Ravindra (42) got New Zealand off to a flowing start posting 86 for the first wicket off 74 balls. Daryll Mitchell (43) struck the ball around and Glenn Phillips ended the match with a boundary off Dilshan Madushanka who had a brilliant World Cup, but finished wicketless yesterday.

Although New Zealand lost five wickets in reaching the target, they hardly looked in trouble. Theekshana rounded off a good match for him by picking up his 50th ODI wicket when he had Ravindra caught by De Silva at mid-on, and Mathews most probably in his final World Cup ended with the best figures for his side with the wickets of Kane Williamson and Mitchell.