By Ranjika Perera
Now that the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaign is over for the Lankans and the team is back in the country, it’s time to look back at how the players fared in the tournament.
Kusal Mendis
223 runs/8 innings/SR 142
Probably the most impactful player throughout the whole tournament, Kusal’s contribution with the bat at the top was seemingly essential for the success of the team. Every time Mendis failed, Sri Lanka struggled to make inroads with the bat.
In his case, it was so pleasing to see the maturity of the player despite having so many setbacks. We can all agree that he is finally living up to his potential. He will surely play a big role in the upcoming 50-over World Cup, where the conditions will be more familiar for the Lions.
Pathum Nissanka
214 runs/8 innings/SR 109
Nissanka was good in patches in the tournament. He was by far the best batter during the Asia Cup for the Lankans, but against raw pace and the bounce, Nissanka struggled at the top.
Nissanka’s only highlight was the innings against England. His scoring rate dropped drastically, and it put added pressure on Mendis and the rest of the batters. Despite, the setback in the T20 World Cup, he must continue at the top in white-ball cricket, at least in the 50-over format.
Dhananjaya de Silva
177 runs/8 innings/SR 129/6 wickets/ER 6.82
De Silva certainly came to the party in the World Cup. He showed his real value to the team with both bat and ball. His unbeaten 66 to guide Sri Lanka home against Afghanistan was so pleasing to witness.
Apart from crucial runs for Sri Lanka, his contribution with the ball was vital as well. His six wickets at an economy rate of 6.82 was brilliant at crucial moments of the game.
Charith Asalanka
131 runs/7 innings/SR 115
Asalanka came into the tournament under a lot of pressure after a disappointing Asia Cup. He wasn’t allowed to play the warmups and he didn’t even have a spot in the side until Dhanushka Gunathilaka was injured. Despite batting on seven occasions, Asalanka struggled to bring his A-game to the fore. The young man has had a brilliant start to his career, but he is now learning that international cricket has its own ups and downs.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa
125 runs/8 innings/SR 119
Rajapaksa had a point to prove down under. He was ambitious enough to aim for the Man of the Series trophy but ended up way short. He had ample chances to prove his worth but the ease with which he cleared the fence during the Asia Cup was not to be seen at the World Cup.
His only highlight of the tournament was the counter-attacking innings he played against the Kiwis. His place in the shortest format of the game is bound to come into question once again amongst the cricketing fraternity.
Dasun Shanaka
78 runs/7 innings/SR 105/1 wicket/ER 7.57
Skipper Shanaka admitted that power-hitting was a massive worry for the Lions, which means that his role in the team, which is power-hitting, was disappointing during the T20 World Cup.
There is no doubt that Shanaka is backed by the cricket-loving people in the country due to his ability to draw the best out of the players and keep the team together. However, due to the lack of runs and contribution with the ball, there will be doubts creeping in regarding whether his spot in the side can be justified if he was not the captain.
Chamika Karunaratne
34 runs/6 innings/SR 84/3 wickets/ER 8.00
Karunaratne’s T20 World Cup was a disappointing one. Even he would accept it given his stats. Probably the only highlight of the tournament was the brilliant catch he took in the England game. Sri Lanka didn’t get enough support from their all-rounders which includes Karunaratne, who is the team’s main all-rounder. His contribution with the ball was not significant enough to justify his place and time could be running out despite the passion he shows on and off the field.
Wanindu Hasaranga
15 wickets/ER 6.41
Wanindu Hasaranga was brilliant with the ball once again for the Lions. Despite the thumping he received against the Aussies, he came back strong in the next three games to help Sri Lanka control runs in the middle overs. He is currently the highest wicket-taker in the tournament and will most probably remain at the top unless Sam Curran takes another five-for for England.
Despite starting off well with the bat in the warmup game against Zimbabwe, Hasaranga was out of sorts with the bat. He gave away his wicket cheaply so many times that it made us wonder whether he values his wicket.
Maheesh Theekshana
9 wickets/ER 6.69
The most dependable bowler in the tournament for the Lions, Theekshana silently did his job well, occasionally picking up wickets and shooting an arrow to the crowd in characteristic celebration. He is a great asset to the team because he proved that he could bowl at any given time of the innings, which not many could do.
Lahiru Kumara
7 wickets/ER 7.58
Lahiru Kumara had a World Cup to forget last time around in Dubai. This time though, he was thrown into the deep end to lead the pack after Dushmantha Chameera retired from the tournament due to injury. It is fair to say he redeemed himself in this year’s T20 World Cup with far better control. His spell in Australia was fiery that even the likes of Glen Maxwell was troubled with his bounce and pace.
Pramod Madushan and Kasun Rajitha
Young Madushan was unfortunately injured for most parts of the series and played only three games. But his numbers are decent given the lack of opportunities he got.
Experienced Kasun Rajitha had a decent spell against the Kiwis, but he went for plenty against England in the last game.