An underwhelming outing for the knockout kings

• Three heavy defeats, a non-threatening bowling attack, the retirement of two legends, and an early exit spelled a vastly disappointing campaign from Sri Lanka

What will Sri Lanka do without him? – AFP

By Andrew Fernando How their tournament panned out ESPNCricinfo: Sri Lanka’s campaign spluttered at its beginning, with a warm-up loss to Zimbabwe and a walloping by New Zealand in the tournament opener. It appeared to find a middling gear through the group stage, as four consecutive scores over 300 were amassed. Then, just as they promised they would be speeding up, they drove off a cliff. Hopes for World Cup victory had been substantially tempered at home, when the team lost 0-5 to India, then 2-4 to New Zealand. Still, few had expected the batting to be so limp against South Africa. Here was a team that had built up a fearsome knockouts reputation in the past eight years over two versions of the game. Yet, against perennial underachievers, they were falling to pieces. The result was traumatic for the fans at the ground. Fans at home have mourned on social media since, though many have also moved on. It was a strange run from Sri Lanka, because although their XI from most games read like a quality outfit, the attack’s form, through injury or loss of rhythm, had declined alarmingly. Lasith Malinga had his yorkers humming by the end of the tournament, but where in the past he would have been taking wickets, he was merely economical against the top teams. Nuwan Kulasekara didn’t achieve the inswing nor the accuracy that makes him dangerous. Sachithra Senanayake and Seekkuge Prasanna were poor replacements for Rangana Herath, whose control had held the bowling together before he was injured. Without Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, a difficult rebuilding phase now awaits Sri Lanka. They will at least be pleased that Lahiru Thirimanne continues to make runs atop the order, and that Dinesh Chandimal appears to finally have shed the mental baggage that has weighed down his talent. Quick Dushmantha Chameera is an exciting prospect too, though he has not yet learned how to convert pace into wickets.   High point A chase of 310 against England was made to seem a cinch by the Sri Lanka top three, who took the team hurtling to the finish in 47.2 overs. That innings was particularly poignant for Thirimanne, who overcame a weakness against James Anderson during his innings of 139 not out. He also became Sri Lanka’s youngest World Cup centurion in the process.   And the low What else but the quarter final? Fans were left with so many questions. Why was Kusal Perera suddenly promoted to open when the Thirimanne-Tillakaratne Dilshan combination had been the most fruitful opening pairing for Sri Lanka in recent years? Why didn’t Sangakkara and Jayawardene reverse pressure as they have done so many times before? How could they lose seven wickets to South Africa’s spin?   Top of the class One of the hundreds may have been against an Associate side, but Sangakkara’s four-in-a-row had never been done before, and at the end of the quarter-final stage, he remains the tournament’s top scorer, with 541 runs at an average of 108.20. Sangakkara was always bent on retiring while he was near his best, and he will take satisfaction in leaving the cricket world pining for him.   What we learned about Sri Lanka With Malinga, Herath and Dilshan unlikely to play another World Cup, in addition to Jayawardene and Sangakkara’s retirements, Angelo Mathews has a tough road to 2019. Dilshan and Herath will remain with the side for some time, while new players are weaned around them, but because Sri Lanka’s domestic cricket is in such bad shape, even talented players often take years to find their feet at the top level. Mathews has the beginnings of a top order and an attack to build a side around, but with administrative chaos also afoot, he will know that he has one of the most daunting jobs in cricket.   What they learned from this World Cup ODI cricket is in a new age. Two new balls and four men out of the circle has not made the format more appealing, but it has made it formulaic in a novel way. In this tournament, Sri Lanka’s approach to its attack, in particular, appeared outdated. Four frontline bowlers are a must now, and perhaps so are seven reliable batsmen. Stacking sides with allrounders who can’t be relied on to deliver 10 overs, and are only occasionally effective with the bat, may not yield dividends outside home conditions.