SWOT analysis of Sri Lanka cricket team ahead of ODI World Cup 2023

All the 10 teams are gearing up for the World Cup. The teams have reached India for the marquee event and started playing the warm-up matches. On Wednesday, all the team captains are ready for the 'Captain's Corner' event, at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. Rohit Sharma and other team skippers have already reached Ahmedabad for the event. The Sri Lanka team had a good outing until the final of the Asia Cup 2023. Dasun Shanaka and Co. got dismantled against a fiery spell of India pacer Mohammed Siraj in the final and got bowled out for just 50 runs.

The 1996 World Cup winners have been performing pretty well under Shanaka's captaincy. They had achieved a record of winning 13 matches simultaneously before they lost against India in the final. The team has a good mix of experience and youth. They can be the dark horses for the marquee tournament keeping the Indian conditions in mind. The team qualified for the final when it was co-hosted by India in 2011.

The Lankans are suffering from lots of injuries including main spinner Wanindu Hasaranga who was their leading wicket-taker for the World Cup Qualifiers. In this article, we will do a SWOT analysis of the Sri Lankan cricket team.

Strength 

Their biggest strength is their spin attack. Maheesh Theekshana and all-rounders Dhananjay De Silva, Charith Aslanka, and Dunith Wellalage, all contribute with both bat and ball, adding depth to the team’s resources. With all of these players in the squad, they can create havoc on batters with their incredible bowling excellence on the Indian pitches. Theekshana has a lot of experience playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) side Chennai and knows how the pitches behave in India.

The batters are well aware of the subcontinent conditions. Sri Lankan pitches are almost similar to those of the pitches in India. Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, and Dhananjaya De Silva have proven themselves as capable run-scorers in international cricket. The top-order batters are good players of spin as well.

Weakness 

For the Lankans, their biggest weakness is the injury of their star spinner Wanindu Hasaranga. The leg-spinner excelled with both bat and ball in the Lanka Premier League (LPL). Injuries have been the main problem for the 1996 World Champions.

Another problem is the fast bowling department. They will miss the service of Dushmantha Chameera who has 50 wickets in 44 ODIs. He injured his muscle during the ODI World Cup qualifier, held in Zimbabwe. Moreover, Matheesa Pathirana does not have any experience playing in the World Cup. They might struggle in this department.

Opportunities 

Historically Sri Lanka has performed brilliantly in the sub-continent conditions. They won their one and only World Cup trophy in 1996 while the event was hosted in the subcontinent, and in 2011, they reached the finals while in the 2014 T20 World Cup also they won the final against India in Bangladesh.

Threats 

Injuries of players like Hasaranga and Chameera can be the biggest threat in India. Out of Sri Lanka’s 15-member squad for the ODI World Cup 2023, 11 players will mark their debut in the marquee event this time. The lack of quality players and experience of playing in the World Cup is another threat.