Theekshana out of World Cup opener against South Africa

• Coach Silverwood expects Delhi pitch to be a belter

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq (use Moose, 

SLC, Nippon logos)

The good news for Sri Lanka ahead of their 2023 World Cup opening fixture against South Africa at the Arun Jaitley Stadium (formerly Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium) in Delhi today is that with the exception of Maheesh Theekshana the rest of the 15-member squad have recovered from their injuries and are available for selection.

Theekshana who gave the two practice games a miss and joined the squad on Wednesday having recovered from a hamstring injury is being rested as a precautionary move. Theekshana bowled at practice and according to team sources is getting his rhythm back after being out for the best part of three weeks. As a result, the team management does not want to take a chance and rush him as Sri Lanka will require his services right till the end of the tournament.

In Theekshana’s absence the onus on spin will fall on the young and inexperienced shoulders of left-armer Dunith Wellalage and leg-spinner Dushan Hemantha with Dhananjaya de Silva also available with his off-breaks. However with the unavailability of Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga the Lankan spin bowling department lacks experience and is the weak point. Especially in a contest as the World Cup it is an area where opposition teams will be keen to capitalise on and try to make the most of it. A lot will depend on their seamers Kasun Rajitha, Dilshan Madushanka, Lahiru Kumara and Matheesha Pathirana to contain the opposition to decent totals, which their batsmen are capable of chasing down.

Sri Lanka however as a collective unit they lack the firepower to go all the way, although it needs to be mentioned that in their last 15 games Sri Lanka have bowled out the opposition in 14. But the ease with which Bangladesh and Afghanistan took heavy toll in the warm-up matches only brought to light the difficulties Sri Lanka bowlers are likely to come up against.

Sri Lanka Head Coach Chris Silverwood expects the Delhi pitch to be a belter. “Speaking to Mahela Jayawardene who has a good knowledge of the wickets around here, and speaking to the curator last night and looking at the wicket, it looks like a good wicket. History tells us it’s likely to be a high-scoring game. And you’re looking at the size of the boundaries, I would expect it to be a high-scoring game as well.”

“We know given the right conditions, given the right day we can go toe-to-toe with anybody. So, we’ll be going out there looking to win as always but we expect a very tough game tomorrow.”

Dasun Shanaka and Kusal Perera have both recovered from their injuries sustained in the warm-up match against Bangladesh and are likely to play. Shanaka had a painful left elbow and Perera pain on his right shoulder that had recently undergone surgery.

As for Shanaka, his captaincy will be on the line during the World Cup. Sri Lanka needs him to contribute with the bat because it is an area where the team has been failing. The worry for Sri Lanka is their middle and lower order batsmen failing to deliver good starts at the top. Against Bangladesh from 164-3 they slumped to 263 all out and against Afghanistan from 240-2 to 294 all out. On both occasions they failed to fulfil their quota of 50 overs. With a weak bowling attack, Sri Lanka needs to put enough runs on the board if they are to make a match of it.

So far in the two warm-up games only Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka and Dhananjaya de Silva have shown some kind of form. Vice Captain Kusal Mendis showed the other day in the warm-up game against Afghanistan that given the responsibility of captain could bring the best out of him when he smashed a brilliant 87-ball 158 before retiring out to give the other batsmen an opportunity in the middle which they failed to make use of. Nissanka and De Silva made fifties apiece against Bangladesh but they need to score more than that if they are to give Sri Lanka a competitive total.

The batting form of Dimuth Karunaratne, the most experienced player in the squad is another worrying factor. He was sent to bat at eight against Bangladesh and made 18 and opening the batting against Afghanistan was dismissed for eight. With Kusal Perera available, he will pair off with Nissanka for the openers’ slot which means there is no place for Karunaratne. Sadeera Samarawickrama and Charith Asalanka are two other batters who need to hit their straps in today’s game.

The World Cup is another opportunity for South Africa to erase their legacy of not doing well in pressure situations at this mega event, which has earned them the title as ‘chokers’. They need to overcome the calamities of 1992, 1996 and 1999 and enter the final, if possible, win it. They have had some of the best one-day squads in the history of the tournament but for some reason or the other have failed to make it to the final.

“I think for us, the biggest thing is our character,” said South African skipper Temba Bavuma. “You’ll hear a lot of guys speak about our resilience. I think that’s something that really stands for us in a good way. There’s also a willingness or desire from guys to put in the big performances for the team. That’s something we will be leaning towards, guys not shying away from those pressure moments, going towards them, and really grabbing the opportunity or the game by the scruff of its neck. From the personality of the team, that’s probably where our strength is – our resilience and our willingness and desire to make a play for the team.”

South Africa’s batting significantly is their strong point. More so in the wake of the withdrawal of bowlers Anrich Nortje and Sisanda Magala because of a spinal stress fracture and a knee problem which leaves Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj as the two main striker bowlers. In their batting Quinton de Kock retiring from ODI cricket after the World Cup and the rise of Heinrich Klaasen are two reasons why South Africa will be among the teams expected to bat big in this tournament.

South Africa has won four of the six World Cup encounters against Sri Lanka, which includes the last three meetings between the two sides in 2019, 2015 and 2007. Sri Lanka’s only win was in 1992; the 2003 match ended in a tie.